State Softball Roundup Day 2: No. 1 Grandview gets ousted in Class 3A semifinals
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
Kingsville Santa Gertrudis Academy 6, Grandview 3
Kingsville Santa Gertrudis Academy scored five runs in the top of the second then held off top-ranked Grandview, 6-3, in the Class 3A state semifinals at McCombs Field on Wednesday.
No. 9 Santa Gertrudis (40-5) had just tied the game 1-1 in the second when Julia Guerrero singled up the middle driving in two more. Guerrero, the Lions’ right fielder hitting ninth, went 2-for-2 with a run scored in addition to the two RBI.
An out later second baseman Taylor Reyes tripled in a pair to up the lead to 5-1. Reyes led the Lions going 2-for-4 and drove in three runs including a solo home run leading off the fifth inning.
Grandview (39-4) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Sydney Mann led off with a single to left-center, was sacrificed to second by Kierstyn Moore, and came home on a single down the left field line by Jaley James.
The Zebras rallied in the sixth. Moore led off the inning getting hit by a pitch and moved to third when James doubled to left-center. After one out, Madi Doty singled to right, driving in Moore, to cut the lead to 6-2. Olivia Bauerschlag followed with a single down the line in left to score James, but SG pitcher D’Andra Fernandez (25-4) got a pair of fly outs to end the threat.
Fernandez went the distance scattering eight hits, allowing three earned runs, walking one and striking out one. Grandview went three-up, three-down in the seventh.
Mann, James and Doty had two hits each for Grandview. Doty (17-2) took the loss on the mound for the Zebras going 4.1 innings allowing seven hits, six runs (three earned), walking one and striking out six.
The Zebras were searching for their first championship game appearance after also reaching the semifinals in 2018. This will be the Lions’ fourth trip to the title game. Gertrudis won it all in 2018, defeating Brock in the semifinals.
Coahoma 1, Emory Rains 0
In the second Class 3A semifinal, Coahoma’s Hannah Wells and Emory Rain’s Cambree Oakes dueled it out on the mound with the Bulldogs scratching out a run in the bottom of the second to down Rains, 1-0.
No. 4 Coahoma (35-3) will take on No. 9 Kingsville Santa Gertrudis Academy (40-5) for the 3A title at 1 p.m. on Thursday back at McCombs Field.
Wells (19-1) was stellar for the Bulldogs tossing seven innings of one-hit ball walking four and striking out 11.
Shae Lang led off the second inning for Coahoma with a walk. A one-out sacrifice bunt by Karleigh Burt moved Lang to second and Baylor Wright followed with a single to right to plate Lang for the only run of the game.
Oakes (33-8) went six innings allowing four hits, the one earned run, with two walks and three strikeouts for No. 21 Rains (33-8).
Lang had a two-out triple in the fourth for Coahoma, but was stranded there when Oakes fanned Kaedyn Lee to end the inning. Avery Rodriguez lashed a two-out double to left in the fifth, but Christian Everett lined out to center for the third out.
Izzy Stroman got the only hit for the Wildcats on an infield single to lead off the fifth. Stroman went to second on a ground out to short, but Wells struck out the next two batters to strand her there.
It will be Coahoma’s seventh trip to the championship game including being the state runner-up last season. The Bulldogs have one title, won in 1998.
CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Hermleigh 9, D’Hanis 0
Hermleigh dominated from the start, scoring three runs in the top of the first and never looking back in downing D’Hanis, the defending Class 1A champions, 9-0 in the 1A title game on Wednesday at McCombs Field.
It was the Cardinals first state title in three trips to the championship game, including a loss to D’Hanis last season. The Cowgirls were looking for their third state title in five years.
Summer Smith (22-6) stymied the Cowgirls tossing seven innings of five-hit ball without a base on balls and striking out five. Kayla Looper (11-4) took the loss on the mound for D’Hanis (14-7-1).
Smith, the championship game MVP, starred at the plate as well going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Smith singled in runs in the first and fourth innings and had an RBI double in the sixth.
Lexi Greenwood went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored for Hermleigh (22-6). Cardinals’ catcher Sydney Hancock went 1-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored.
Looper had two of the five hits for D’Hanis. Looper had a two-out single in the fourth and doubled with two-out in the sixth, but was stranded both times.
CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Weimar 4, Como-Pickton 3
Weimar catcher Paige Pavlu singled on a 1-ball, 2-strike pitch with two out in the seventh inning to walk off a 4-3 win over Como-PIckton in the Class 2A state championship game on Wednesday at McCombs Field.
It was the sixth state softball title for Weimar (40-6-1) and the first since 2014. The Wildcats were making their third consecutive title game appearance and 10th overall.
Como-Pickton (38-3) was making its first championship game appearance and second tournament trip.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Izzy Reeves singled to left and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a pop out and an intentional walk to Taylor Smith, Pavlu, the championship game MVP, provided the winning hit.
Reagan Wick (33-3) picked up the win on the mound allowing eight hits and three runs (two earned) in seven innings with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Reeves was 2-for-3 for Weimar with three runs scored. Taylor Smith went 2-for-2 with two walks and two RBI for the Wildcats
Mattison Buster went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI to lead Como-Pickton. Buster doubled in a run in the first and doubled again in the third when the Eagles scored twice to take a 3-1 lead.
Weimar got an RBI double from Smith in the third and Hannah Fisbeck tied the game in the fifth when her grounder to second with two outs was booted allowing Chloe Grifaldo to score.
Buster (35-2) took the loss for the Eagles with two of the four runs allowed being earned. Buster scattered six hits with three walks and four Ks.
