The Pilot Point Lady Cats and the Tioga Lady Bulldogs softball teams faced off Tuesday night to open the season, the Lady Cats taking victory 8-7.
The Lady Bulldogs found themselves ahead 7-2 in the fifth inning, but the Lady Cats were able to tie the game in the sixth and scored the winning run in the final inning.
“For our first game, the girls executed well,” head softball coach Kylie Roos said. “They were visibly trying to do the things we’ve been working on in practice, which tells me how coachable they are.”
Pilot Point got on the scoreboard first after an unforced error allowed Autumn Gurney to cross home plate, giving the Lady Cats a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Tioga answered with a single from Kenzee Powers in the third inning that brought Kennedy Slay home, tying the game at 1.
The Lady Bulldogs added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a sacrifice bunt by Veronica Colmenares and a double from Bella Dennis to take the lead 3-1.
The Lady Cats got their second run in the bottom of the fourth when Lady Bulldogs pitcher Abbie Benke walked the batter with the bases loaded, making it a one-score game at 3-2.
Tioga’s offense got hot in the following inning, collecting 4 more runs, with big hits from Powers, Kaylee Evans, Emerson Moore and Dennis to push the lead to 7-2.
Despite the deficit, the Lady Cats clawed their way back into the game in the sixth inning with RBIs from Shelby French, Samantha Maxwell, Scarlett Bush and Lily Govea, tying the game as the teams went into the final inning.
“That’s kind of been our identity so far,” Roos said. “Our motto this year is, ‘Earn It.’ We know that no one is going to give us anything, so if we do the little things right, it will pay off.”
The Pilot Point’s defense, led by relief pitcher Maxwell, took care of business and kept Tioga off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning, giving their offense a chance to win.
Lady Cat Karla Garcia got on base with a ground ball single and was brought home a couple of plays later by a clutch hit from French, scoring the gamewinning run.
“I wasn’t really thinking about what the pitcher was doing,” French said. “I just kept thinking, ‘All it takes is one hit to bring the runner in,’ and that’s what I did.”
Roos spoke highly of how the Lady Cats came together to take the win.
“All of our hitters did a great job tonight,” she said. “We had three triples and found a way to take a lot of extra bases. … Every single player put in the work tonight to earn that win.”
Maxwell, who relieved Lady Cats’ starting pitcher Lily Cooper in the top of the fifth inning, said she was happy she could aid her team in the win.
“We were down when I came in, and our defense struggled a little after the change, but it felt great to be able to help the team find a way to win,” she said.
Head softball coach Hallie Martin said her team came in too relaxed and hopes the loss serves as a wake-up call for the Lady Bulldogs.
“We came off a really hot season last year, and I think we coasted a bit tonight,” she said. “… I hope my team realizes that it’s not just going to be given to us. We have to have go-getter mentality, and I hope that this game, losing by 1 run in the seventh, flips a switch, and we can have some positivity and energy going forward.”
The Lady Cats will take their momentum on the road to a softball tournament in Frisco on Friday and Saturday, and the Lady Bulldogs will look to rebound in road matchup with the Princeton Lady Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
