Navarro softball sweeps Canyon Lake, advances to area playoffs
(Marion) – Navarro found reprieve from the region’s rainy weather and wet field conditions on the artificial turf at Marion High School to sweep Canyon Lake 18-8 and 13-3 in the 4A bi-district softball playoffs on Thursday and Friday.
The Panthers started the first game at Canyon Lake on Wednesday, led 4-3 in the fourth inning when play was suspended due to weather, resumed the game in Marion on Thursday, and outscored the Hawks 14-5 the rest of the way to take a 1-0 series lead.
Navarro plated three runs in the fourth inning, sixt in the fifth, another in the sixth, and four in the seventh.
Sydni Stevens and Laylin Sturm each hit home runs. Sturm also doubled to finish 4-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Sam Mundine went 4-6, scored twice, and drove in two. Stevens doubled as well to go 2-5 with three RBIs and two runs.
Kaislyn Tovar went 4-5, scored twice, and drove in a run. Sarah Howard and Sam Wegman each recorded two RBIs. Howard scored three times and stole two bases. Haileigh “Bear” Ortiz finished 3-5 with two runs and an RBI. Melina Tabares went 2-5 with a run scored, and Mary Gilliam drove in a run.
Wegman earned the win in the pitcher’s circle, allowing eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts in seven inning.
Navarro was slated to host the second game on Friday, but the Panthers’ home field was drenched, so they played in Marion again.
The Panthers trailed 2-0 in the middle of the second inning, but erupted for five runs to take the lead for good in the bottom of the frame. Tabares reached on an error to drive in Sarah Howard, and Sturm launched a grand slam over the right field fence to score Wegman’s courtesy runner Jyll Reed, Gilliam, and Tabares.
Mundine singled in Gilliam to make it 6-2 in the third inning. Stevens’ second home run of the series sparked a six-run fourth, and the Panthers led 12-2.
Canyon Lake worked around three Wegman strikeouts to scratch out a run and deactivate the 10-run rule on Riley Glenn-Milhouse’s two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth.
Tovar singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth, stole second, took third on a passed ball, and stood a base away from ending the game when the umpires suspended play due to lightning in the area.
When the game resumed about 15 minutes later, Howard walked, Wegman popped up for the first out, and Gilliam ripped a base hit off the fence in right field to drive in Tovar for the walk-off run.
Wegman worked a complete game in the circle to notch the win, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in five innings.
Tabares finished Game 2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. She and Tovar each doubled. Tovar scored twice. Before the walk-off single, Gilliam walked and scored three times. Mundine went 2-4 and drove in two.
The Navarro lineup totaled 33 hits in the series – 21 in the first game, 12 in the clincher.
The Panthers (24-6) advances to face either Sinton or Needville in the area round of the playoffs. That series had yet to go final at press time.
Marion softball sweeps Lago Vista in 3A bi-district playoffs
(Marion, Lago Vista) – The Bulldogs are headed to the area round of the 3A softball playoffs after dispatching Lago Vista 15-5 at home on Wednesday and 17-9 on the road Thursday evening for a 2-0 sweep in the best-of-three bi-district series.
Lily Bek went 2-3 with a double, scored twice, and drove in three runs in the series opener. Alyssa Robles went 3-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Hailey Halter, Jaslyne Williams, Kristina Miles, and Juliana Loyola each drove in a run. Williams, Kylie Balderas, Miles, and Kira Jones each recorded hits, with Williams, Balderas, and Miles each scoring twice. Peyton Smith-Velasquez crossed the plate twice as well.
The Bulldogs stole six bases in Game 1, with Balderas, Bek, Miles, Robles, Smith-Velasquez, and Williams each swiping one.
Williams earned the win in the pitcher’s circle, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
Marion used 15 hits, 10 walks, and 10 stolen bases to plate 17 runs in Game 2 on Thursday.
Robles doubled, tripled, finished 4-4, drove in four runs, and scored twice. Balderas went 4-4 with a double, four runs scored, and three RBIs. Balderas and Robles each stole two bases.
Juliana Loyola finished 3-3 with a double, three RBIs, and one run scored. Miles scored twice and drove in a run. Williams and Smith-Velasquez each connected for hits, with Smith-Velasquez scoring twice.
Balderas, Jones, and Williams all saw time in the circle. Jones ended up with the win after giving up four runs with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings.
Marion faces Vanderbilt-Industrial in the area round of the playoffs on Friday at 7 p.m. in Weimar.
Seguin softball season ends in bi-district playoff loss to top-ranked Leander
(Austin) – Leander looked every bit the part of the No. 1 5A softball team in Texas and the No. 7 team in the NFCA’s national rankings as the Lions ended Seguin’s season with a 2-0 sweep, 20-0 and 14-0, in the bi-district playoffs at Austin-Westlake on Thursday.
The Matadors only managed three hits in the first game against Leander ace S.J. Geurin (18-0), with Taylor Springs, Graylyn Salazar, and Allie Mize each connecting for singles.
Jailey Cardenas doubled and Vanessa Sanchez singled in Game 2, but the Seguin lineup was unable to string anything together against the Lions’ No. 2 pitcher Lauren Tetrault.
After finishing fourth in District 26-5A and earning the program’s sixth straight playoff berth, Seguin’s final 2021 season record is 15-14.