Little Cypress Mauriceville has advanced to the third round of the Class 4A state softball playoffs. The Lady Bears swept two games from the Carthage Lady Dawgs over the weekend in the area round.

Friday's game was played in Lufkin. The Lady Bears won 18-4 in a game shortened to six innings because of the 10-run rule.

All nine starters for LCM recorded a hit in the blowout. Jillian Brown went four for four with three runs driven in. Ansley Moore had three hits and three rbis. Lexis Moss blasted a three-run homerun, and Keylie Washburn drove in two runs with her two hits. Jacelyn Cook, Ella Stephenson, and Ava Wright each had a rbi.

Stephenson was the winning pitcher throwing three and two third innings with three strikeouts. Tessa Erickson finished the game in the circle with two strikeouts in two and a third innings.

The second game was played Saturday in Jasper. Two errors in the top of the first inning helped Carthage grab a 1-0 lead over Little Cypress Mauriceville.

The Lady Bears tied the score in the bottom half of the first when leadoff hitter Eden Frenzel singled and went to third on an errant pickoff throw. Jacelyn Cook brought Frenzel home with the tying run on a ground out.

Frenzel got things started again in the third as she was hit by a pitch. Cook singled to put Lady Bears at first and second with no outs. Frenzel stole third and the catcher's throw got past the third baseman allowing Eden to score the go ahead run for LCM. Cook later scored on an error to give the Lady Bears a 3-1 lead after three innings.

Jillian Brown continued to swing a big bat with her second double of the game to start the fourth inning. Alex Pinder courtesy ran for Brown and scored on a ground out by Tessa Erickson to make the score 4-1 in favor of LCM.

Keylie Washburn doubled off the fence in the bottom of the fifth. Ansley Moore drove Keylie in with a single to right field to give the Lady Bears a four run advantage.

Little Cypress Mauriceville ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with a six-run rally. Erickson doubled before Frenzel reached on an error. Tessa and Eden then pulled off a double steal with Erickson scoring.

Cook was safe on an error. Lexis Moss and Washburn singled to load the bases. Cook scored on a wild pitch before Moore tripled to the right field fence to bring home Moss and Washburn to open up a 10-1 lead for the Lady Bears. Ava Wright climaxed the game with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Moore with the eleventh run.

Erickson started the game in the circle for Little Cypress Mauriceville and lasted into the third inning when the first Carthage batter singled. Ella Stephenson who began the game in right field came in to pitch and finished the game allowing no hits in four innings while walking three and striking out one to be the pitcher of record for LCM.

There were some nifty defensive plays made by the Lady Bears. Moss made a stellar unassisted force out at second to end the first inning when the Lady Dawgs had the bases loaded. Washburn snatched a line drive at third base that would probably have scored a run for Carthage in the fourth.

LCM Coach Dena Adkins is happy with how her Lady Bears are playing. "Our girls are coming out hitting the ball. Of course defense has been solid behind our pitching giving up a couple hits in a couple games, but whatever hits we do give up we make up for at the plate with our bats, and I couldn't be happier with the way the Lady Bears are performing right now," Adkins expressed.

The third round of the post season this week will be a matchup of two district champions. The Little Cypress Mauriceville Lady Bears play the Liberty Lady Panthers who are the defending state champions in Class 4A softball.

Jillian Brown and Ansley Moore were hitting stars for the Lady Bears in the two games with Carthage driving in nine runs between the two of them

The first game of the best of three series will be played Thursday at 6:30 PM in Cleveland's Hal McClelland Sports Complex. Game two will be Friday in Bridge City beginning at 5:00 PM. A third game if necessary would follow Friday's game.