Little Cypress Mauriceville advanced to the next round of the Class 4A state softball playoffs on Monday. The Lady Bears won the deciding third game 9-2 in their bi-district series with the Hardin Jefferson Lady Hawks.
It was a joint pitching effort that got the important victory for LCM. Ella Stephenson started in the circle going four and two third innings with eight strikeouts allowing two runs only one of which was earned. Tessa Erickson pitched the final two and a third innings not allowing a run or a hit.
There were several hitting stars for Little Cypress Mauriceville. Keylie Washburn had the biggest blow in the victory with a two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth inning that drove in three Lady Bears.
Jacelyn Cook had two hits, scored twice, and drove in a run. Ava White knocked in two runs with a hit for LCM while Eden Frenzel, Lexis Moss, Ansley Moore, and Stephenson each got a hit.
On Saturday Little Cypress Mauriceville got an abbreviated no-hitter and two big homeruns to force the game on May 1 to be played. The Lady Bears won 11-0 over Hardin Jefferson in a game that was called after five innings.
Pitcher Ella Stephenson threw the five innings for LCM and did not give up a hit. She walked four Lady Hawks and struck out seven of them in the shutout.
The bats were blazing hot for the Lady Bears as they banged out thirteen hits. In the third inning Keylie Washburn and Tessa Erickson both hit three-run homers to blow the game open for Little Cypress Mauriceville.
Nine different Lady Bears had hits in the game. Eden Frenzel, Lexis Moss, and Ansley Moore each had two hits. In addition to the two homerun hitters Washburn and Erickson other rbi contributors were Moore, Stephenson, and Ava Wright.
Hardin Jefferson won the first game 3-2 on Friday, April 28, over LCM. Tessa Erickson was in the circle for the Lady Bears giving up eight hits and two walks while striking out four to suffer the loss.
Eden Frenzel and Ansley Moore both had two hits in the game. Frenzel and Keylie Washburn scored the two runs for the Lady Bears.
Little Cypress Mauriceville will play Carthage in a best of three series for the Area Round of the state softball playoffs. Game one is scheduled for this Friday night at 7:00 PM in Lufkin. The second game will be on Saturday, May 6, at 4:00 PM in Jasper. A third game if necessary would follow at the same location that evening.
The Bridge City Lady Cardinals lost their ace pitcher Carson Fall the last week of the regular season. Doctors informed Fall that she could not throw with her injured right arm for three months.
The Lady Cardinals obviously entered their bi-district playoff series in Class 4A with the Huffman Lady Falcons shorthanded. This was compounded by Nicole Sasser one of Bridge City's top hitters being involved in the regional track meet and was unavailable at least for the third game.
Huffman won the first game of the best of three series on Friday 13-3 at Anahuac. Bridge City rebounded later that night to take game two 5-3 forcing a deciding game on Saturday.
Bridge City had the opportunity to jump out and take a good lead in the first inning of the third game. Haley Munoz opened with double and courtesy runner Gabby Moore scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs looking to add to that advantage. However, a double play turned by the Lady Falcons stopped any hopes of a multiple run rally.
Kaydence Corkran started in the circle for Bridge City. She did not make it out of the second inning as Huffman took a 6-1 lead after two innings. Cambree LaComb pitched the remainder of the game for the Lady Cardinals.
An unearned run in the fourth got Bridge City a little closer as Kyleigh Hamilton reached on an error and scored on a second Lady Falcon error in the inning to make the score 6-2. Another double play though executed by Huffman ended the inning for the Lady Cardinals.
Bridge City clawed a little closer in the top of the fifth. Amaris Larkin scored to make the score 6-3, but in the bottom half of the same inning Huffman got a bases loaded double that plated three Lady Falcons to open their advantage to six runs.
Both teams scored in the sixth. Lexi Nugier got the run for the Lady Cardinals after hits by Marlie Strong and Munoz. Huffman added two more in the bottom of the sixth to bring the final score to 11-4 in favor of the Lady Falcons ending the season for Bridge City.
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