By Moses Leos III
For the second consecutive week, a pair of Saturday victories keeps the Hays Lady Rebels state tournament dreams afloat.
Crucial offensive adjustments allowed Hays to eliminate the Mercedes Lady Tigers in a thrilling three game regional semifinal series in Sinton.
“It feels awesome,” Hays High senior Addie Vayas said. “Even if we lost the first game, it’s awesome to win those next two. We have had some adversity [this postseason]. It will help us in the long run.”
The Lady Rebels are now a step away from the state tournament. Standing in their way are the Medina Valley Lady Panthers in the regional final round.
Hays and Medina Valley will square off in a three-game series beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday. Game two will be Friday at 7 p.m., and if necessary, game three will be Saturday at noon. All games will be played at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Much like last week’s series against Dripping Springs, Hays stumbled out of the blocks.
A two-run fifth inning gave the Mercedes Lady Tigers a 2-1 game one win on Friday.
Hays struggled against pitcher Dalila Barrera, who had eight strikeouts in seven innings. Barrera struck out 20 batters in 21 innings of work.
Attaining timely hits was a factor in the Lady Rebels’ loss. Lady Rebel head coach Aaron Fuller said pressure and a lack of focus contributed to the problems.
An RBI bunt single from sophomore Karina Rocha in the fourth inning gave Hays a 1-0 lead. However, a two-run RBI double from Mercedes’ Haley Blanco was enough for the Lady Tigers to claim the win.
The loss put the Lady Rebels on the brink of elimination once again. The girls regrouped in a team-only meeting after Friday’s loss.
“We got the girls together and went over what we needed to do better to succeed,” senior Sarah Leal said.
Focusing on pitch selection, along with keeping the ball on the ground, was the key for Hays on Saturday.
Leal aided the cause, throwing a four-hit, complete game shutout in a 4-0 victory in game two. She held down Mercedes’ bats, notching seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Fuller lauded the senior, who he said made the right adjustments on Lady Tiger batters.
“I feel like I get stronger in the last few innings [of a game],” Leal said.
The Rebel offense grabbed an early lead in the second. After freshman Alyssa Martinez drew a two-out walk, sophomore Lizzie Bowne ripped an RBI double, scoring Martinez to take a 1-0 lead.
But Barrera’s prowess showed once again. She left seven Lady Rebel base runners stranded through the first six innings of game two, three in scoring position.
That changed in the seventh inning. With two on and no outs, senior Maddy Shannon delivered a two-run RBI double to right field, giving Hays an insurmountable 4-0 lead.
“Our kids did a good job sticking in there at the plate,” Fuller said. “When we were hitting the ball on the ground, good things happened for us.”
It set up a winner-take-all game three. Pitching dominated, as Leal and Barrera went toe-to-toe in a thrilling pitching duel.
A three-run sixth was enough for Hays to escape with a win.
Leal and Barrera kept things scoreless through six innings of play. Hays offense then found its groove.
A lead-off single from Shannon and a one-out walk from Leal brought up junior Haliegh Madden, who popped up to center field. However, the fly-ball was mishandled, allowing Shannon to score.
Hays then added two more runs, with Arroyo scoring on a passed ball. Martinez then drove in Madden on an RBI single.
Mercedes countered with a run in the bottom of the sixth, cutting Hays’ lead to two. But their best shot came in the seventh, when they had the bases loaded and one out.
Hays’ stellar defense took over, capping off the game with no more runs scored. It was highlighted by a diving defensive stop by Martinez to record the second out.
“Defense won us that game,” Vayas said. “We didn’t let the mistakes bring us down, and we got the outs when we needed them.”
Hays now readies for its biggest challenge yet — a meeting with Medina Valley, which, like Hays, is ranked in the top five of the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) softball poll.
Fuller said keying on fundamentals will be pivotal to a return trip to Austin.
“We’ve got to focus on playing good defense and executing on offense,” he said. “It’s setting up to be a good regional final.”
