WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH SOFTBALL? | Carthage, Overton bow out; White Oak-Atlanta in game three Monday in Marshall; Beckville already in round three
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Well, we’ve updated all the baseball playoff series – you guys can see those stories on the home page, divided into 4A, 3A and 2A – but what’s happening with the girls? Where are the softball teams that are still alive in the University Interscholastic League playoffs actually playing at for round three?
Glad you asked. Well, you didn’t really ask, but here they are.
Still playing from our area are Beckville and White Oak. Carthage and Overton were both eliminated Saturday in game threes, and Arp had lost early-on last week.
Beckville moves on to the third round in 2A, and will meet Woden this week. White Oak still has business to take care of in round two: a third and deciding game against Atlanta Monday night in Marshall.
Beckville
The Ladycats (30-3-1) will take on Woden (22-6) in a best-of-three, third-round (regional semifinal) series as a part of the UIL Class 2A, Division 2 playoffs.
Game one will be Thursday at 6 p.m. at Carthage, and Beckville will be the home team.
Game two is Saturday at 1 p.m. at Shelbyville, and Woden will be the home team for that one.
And if game three is needed, it’ll begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two, also at Shelbyville.
Tickets will be $7 each for adults, and $4 each for students. Passes will be accepted.
The Ladycats swept McLeod in round two, 6-1 and 10-0, as we covered last week.
The Beckville-Woden winner will meet either Como-Pickton or West Sabine in the fourth round, the regional finals.
Overton
Unfortunately, the Lady Mustangs’ season came to an end Saturday night with a 5-0 loss to Como-Pickton.
The third and deciding game of the series was scoreless until C-P scored three runs in the fifth. They added two more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
C-P’s Lady Eagles managed to string eight hits in the game, but Overton had only one: catcher Anna Perkins, and it was a single.
Talented Kelsey Vaught worked hard on the mound for the Lady Mustangs, throwing the complete game. But C-P managed five runs, four of them earned, on those eight hits to go with two walks. Vaught struck out three.
Lexie Rainey got the win for C-P, allowing just the one hit, one walk and recording six strikeouts.
Overton finishes the season with an 18-15-1 record.
White Oak
Coach Ninevah Blankenship’s strong lineup of Ladynecks are tied with Atlanta in a second-round series as a part of the UIL 3A Division 1 playoffs.
White Oak (32-7) won game one, 5-1, but then slipped to Atlanta, 11-6, in game two.
Game three, winner-take-all, is Monday night (tomorrow) at 6 p.m. at Marshall.
In game one, White Oak had 13 hits, and held Atlanta to five. Emma White was in the zone on the mound for White Oak: the five hits allowed as well as three walks, but just the one run (earned) and impressively, 12 strikeouts.
White, Emma Fisher and Madi Baker each had a double in the game for the Ladynecks. Baker went 3-of-4 with an RBI. Makayla Fobb went 2-of-4 with 3 RBI.
Kylie Caraway, Fisher, and White each had two hits. Andee Bridges and Neely Ollis had one.
Game two was a 5-4 game with Atlanta in front after two innings, but the Lady Rabbs broke free in the third to score four runs and break the game open, unfortunately for White Oak and its fans.
White Oak actually out-hit Atlanta (11-9) but came out on the wrong end on the scoreboard. Atlanta somehow won the contest even with five errors.
Fisher hit three times for White Oak, and had 3 RBI. One of her three hits was a double. Fobb had a pair of hits, as did Baker. Caraway had one, a double. Baker had an RBI, and White, Ollis and Maddie Hart all each had a hit; Ollis had an RBI, as well.
Addy Young went two innings on the mound for the Ladynecks, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits, walked three and struck out three.
White went five innings, allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits, and walked two. She had eight strikeouts.
The winner of Monday evening’s game three will get Whitesboro in the next round, the regional semifinals.
Carthage
The Lady ‘Dawgs went to a third and deciding game three with North Lamar as a part of the 4A-D2 playoffs, but Carthage slipped in that third contest, losing 3-0.
The District 15-4A champions finished the season with a 28-10 record.
The weird thing about game three, and the funny / weird thing about softball, is that all of the Pantherettes’ runs were scored in the first inning.
North Lamar did have nine hits; Carthage had two, both by Addison Garcia.
Brooklyn Bagley put in four innings of work for Carthage, allowing seven hits – three runs (two earned) and walked no one. She had three strikeouts.
Josie Stephens went three innings, allowing two hits and a walk, but no runs, and she struck out four.
