Lady Mustangs prepped for post-season run

The last two regular season games for the Lady Mustangs seemed to have served as an appetizer for what many hope to be a long run in the post season. The Hughes Springs softball team is going to start the post-season on a 12 game winning streak, having swept through district play, never really being challenged.

Tuesday, the ladies squared off against the Pewitt Lady Brahmas. Freshmen Zoe Lanier and Heven Brock combined to throw a ho-hitter, leading the Hughes Springs squad to a 12-0 win. Lanier threw four strong innings, with five strikeouts, while Brock was efficient in one inning of work, needing only four pitches to seal the win for the Lady Mustangs.

As usual, the offense was on fire, led by Peyton Blythe, scoring seemingly at will. Blythe started off the scoring in the first and really broke the game open with a grand slam home run in the second inning to put the Lady Mustangs up early 5-0. On the night, Blythe was two for four with five RBI’s. Haylee Wilson was two for three with a run scored, while Bailey Tenbrook had two RBI’s. Emily Meade was two for three with a double and two runs scored with an RBI.

Katelyn Roth scored two runs, as did Abbye McKinney. In all, Hughes Springs had 11 hits on the night and made it look easy on Senior Night. Bailey Tenbrook and Emily Meade were honored, and it was an emotional night for the ladies, being that it was the last home game in their high school careers.

Friday came and brought a road trip to Chapel Hill, to take on the Lady Devils in the final district game and regular season game for both teams.

Things started a bit slow for the Lady Mustangs, who actually were losing after one inning. Due to an error in the bottom of the first, the Lady Devils were able to capitalize and score two runs, one of which was unearned. But starting pitcher Abbye McKinney was able to settle down and cruise through the rest of the game, allowing only four hits, and striking out four in the win.

After a couple innings of really uninspiring softball, things changed very quickly.

Down 2-1 in the top of the third inning, Peyton Blythe cranked a double to left and was making her way to third base, when she was called out by the home plate umpire. This is where the fireworks started. Words were exchanged between umpire and coach, and boom, instant offensive explosion. By the end of the inning, the Lady Mustangs were up 17-2. By plating 16 runs in the third inning, the ladies provided themselves breathing room, but also sparked something in them that many hope will be the fire that burns all the way to Austin for the state championship. Before the third inning, the ladies were kind of quiet in the dugout, but during and after the scoring barrage, they were anything but. Many rally cries and words of encouragement were uttered from the visitor’s dugout.

Kensley Echols, Bailey Tenbrook, Haylee Wilson and Abbye McKinney all had two hits in the win, and all four scored two runs apiece. McKinney’s two hits were doubles, and she also had two RBI’s. Wilson added three RBI’s, as did Tenbrook, who was also walked twice.

Peyton Blythe was four for four on the night, with four RBI’s and three runs scored. She also homered and doubled. She added to her home run total, giving her seven on the year.

The Lady Mustangs ended the regular season with nine ladies having a better than .300 season average, with at least 19 at bats. As a team, on the year, the ladies managed to compile a batting average of .410. Scoring 262 runs on the year, and having a .596 slugging percentage, opposing teams in the post season better prepare for the offensive onslaught.

The playoffs start Thursday for Hughes Springs’ softball, and they will travel to NTCC in Mount Pleasant and will go against the New Boston Lady Tigers. Game time is 8 p.m. The best of three series, will have game two to be announced, because of regional track that day, while game 3 if necessary is slated for 6pm at NTCC.

Coach Thompson was asked what was one thing that needed to be addressed and what was the biggest asset going into the post season, she stated, “Nerves for the freshmen… our biggest asset is experience, 6-7 kids back from last year’s team. Those kids know what to expect and what it’s going to take for us to make another deep run.”