The Aledo Ladycats pulled off an upset in the state semifinal, beating two-time defending state champion Melissa on May 20 at Denton High School.
The Ladycats won a close game 5-4 against the Lady Cardinals, thanks to clutch home runs from Breleigh Mayer and Brooklynn Taloa and a strong pitching and defensive performance from Tempe Perry and her teammates.
Aledo came into the one-game series as the underdog for the first time since before district play. Melissa was not only the two-time defending state champion, but a large part of its lineup was returning from last year’s team that set the national record for home runs in a season. This season, the Lady Cardinals were just shy of 100 home runs, not as many as last year but more than twice as many as the Ladycats, who are no slouches themselves when it comes to going yard.
The two teams also had some recent history. They met last year in the same round, and the Lady Cardinals won big 15-4 in the one-game series. Earlier in the season at a tournament, the teams had played again, and Melissa had won 5-0, allowing Aledo only one hit in the game. The Lady Cardinals’ lineup is stacked with players signed to SEC schools. On paper, it looked like it would be the same old story.
But it’s why they play the game.
Melissa got off to a great start. A leadoff batter hit by a pitch and a fielding error in right field allowed two runners to reach base. The next batter grounded out to shortstop, allowing one run to score. Following another walk and a fly out, Melissa came through with a double to the left-field wall that drove in both base runners as the Lady Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Aledo needed a pick-me-up and got one from its leadoff hitter. After working a full count, she smashed the ball over the left-field fence for a solo home run that cut the lead to 3-1 and sent a message to the Lady Cardinals that the Ladycats were not going down without a fight.
In the second inning, Aledo pitcher Tempe Perry was trying to be cautious around Melissa’s many power hitters, working the bottom of the zone with off-speed pitches and not worrying if certain batters drew walks. The Lady Cardinals put their first two batters on base with a walk and a single, but Aledo got a big defensive play from left fielder Kennedy Cardenas.
Having moved back farther since the double over her head, she caught a fly ball and threw to third baseman Kyleigh Pawlak. The runner tried to tag up and reach third base, sliding past the bag after dodging Pawlak, but Pawlak dove and tagged her while she was off the bag to complete the double play. The next batter flew out for the third out.
Aledo loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning with Kayleigh Martin drawing a walk, Taloa’s ground ball to second base resulting in an error and Cardenas hitting a single. Kellyn Overturff hit a fly ball to center field, but it was deep enough for one run to score and cut the lead to 3-2 heading into the third inning.
Perry allowed a one-out walk in the third but was able to retire the next two batters with little trouble. In the fourth inning, Melissa tried to get a two-out rally going after a hit batter and a single put two runners on base with one of the Lady Cardinals’ best power hitters at the plate. The batter hit the first pitch to shortstop Rosser for a routine out, and Aledo escaped the inning unscathed.
The Ladycats were able to get a two-out rally of their own going later in the inning. Overturff hit a single, and Mayer came up and smashed a two-run home run near the center-field wall, giving Aledo a 4-3 lead, its first of the game, as well as a huge momentum swing for both the team and the Ladycat faithful who had traveled to the game.
Aledo got some more momentum from its defense in the fifth inning. After a leadoff single and a line out, the next batter hit a line drive to shortstop Rosser, who then quickly tossed the ball to first base for the inning-ending double play. The Ladycats were not able to add to their lead, but they were feeling good.
That feeling was then challenged with one swing of the bat from Melissa. The leadoff hitter in the sixth inning hit a solo home run over the center-field wall to tie the game at 4-4 and change the mood.
A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases with one out as the Lady Cardinals’ power hitters were coming up in the lineup. Perry worked back from a 3-0 count to strike out the next batter looking for the second out before the following batter grounded out to shortstop Rosser for the third out. Perry and the Ladycats had survived the onslaught after the game was tied, but following an unsuccessful previous inning at the plate, Aledo needed some momentum to retake the lead this late in the game.
They got it from their leadoff batter to start the bottom of the sixth inning. Taloa jumped on the first pitch and smashed it over the opposite-field wall for a solo home run, giving Aledo a 5-4 lead and completely changing the tenor of the game.
The Ladycats had a few more chances to add to their lead when Cardenas and Overturff followed Taloa with back-to-back singles and no outs, but Aledo could not get them home. The Ladycats carried a one-run lead heading into the final inning but knew the score could change with any swing of the bat from this Melissa lineup.
The leadoff hitter for the Lady Cardinals in the seventh was their most dangerous. Kennedy Bradley is a University of Florida signee who has hit 20 or more home runs in each of the past three seasons. She had been pitched around, walking twice and flying out to left field thanks to Cardenas playing farther back, but Perry went after her this inning. A weak pop fly behind the catcher was in play, and Mayer made the catch to get the dangerous hitter out.
The next batter weakly hit a ground ball to Perry, who threw to first base for the second out, and the Aledo faithful could feel it coming.
That feeling was delayed, and the tension rose. A first-pitch single and a four-pitch walk followed as Melissa put the pressure on. Perry had an 0-2 count, and the next pitch caused the hitter to check her swing for the third and final out of the game. The celebration kicked off, as did the tears.
Mayer led the team with two RBIs and a home run, while Taloa and Rosser each added a solo home run and Overturff drove in one run. Overturff and Cardenas each had a team-high two hits. As a team, Aledo finished with seven hits and drew two walks.
On the mound, Perry allowed four runs, one earned, on six hits while walking six and hitting three batters and striking out five. The defense committed two fielding errors.
Aledo coach Heather Myers was proud of her team for executing the game plan at the plate against Melissa.
“I’m just really proud of their discipline at the plate,” Myers said. “We worked all week on that speed, staying behind her pitches. The maturity they showed at the plate to lay off the up pitch, lay off the changeup and wait for her to work into the zone, I thought they did a really good job.”
The win sends Aledo to the Class 5A Division I state championship game. It is the softball program’s first appearance since 2021. A win would be the first for the Ladycats since 2015 and the fourth overall.
The state championship is scheduled for 4 p.m. May 29 at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, with Aledo playing the winner of the Barbers Hill-Leander game.
Aledo offense: Breleigh Mayer one hit, one home run, two RBIs, one run; Brooklynn Taloa one hit, one home run, one run; Delaney Rosser one hit, one home run, one RBI, one run, one walk; Kellyn Overturff two hits, one RBI, one run, one stolen base; Kennedy Cardenas two hits; Kayleigh Martin one run, one walk.
Aledo pitching: Tempe Perry seven innings, six hits, four runs, one earned run, five strikeouts, six walks.
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