By Moses Leos III and Rafael Marquez

Very little has stood in the way of the Hays Lady Rebels’ state title defense bid. Not even the Medina Valley Lady Panthers’ 20-game win streak could derail it. 

Clutch hits and dominant pitching fueled Hays’ sweep of the Lady Panthers in the regional final at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Hays advances to the UIL 4A state softball tournament for a second straight season. 

“I was really pleased with the way they played against Medina Valley — getting two huge wins against a good team, one of the best in the state,” Hays head coach Aaron Fuller said. “It gives us a little momentum heading into the state tournament this week.” 

The Lady Rebels will face a familiar foe in the Aledo Lady Bearkats in Friday’s state semifinal. Hays defeated Aledo 8-1 in the 2013 4A state semifinal. 

First pitch is scheduled for noon at McCombs Field in Austin. 

Game one: Rebel bats come through
in the clutch 

Three runs in the fifth inning launched Hays to a dramatic 7-5 game one win over Medina Valley on Thursday. 

“The resiliency of our girls is incredible,” Hays head coach Aaron Fuller said. “That’s what I expect out of them. That’s what they expect out of themselves.”

Defensive miscues hurt Hays early, as Medina Valley junior Tina Lopez scored on a passed ball, giving the Lady Panthers a 1-0 lead. 

Hays worked to decipher sophomore pitcher Kylee Decock, who breezed through the first two innings. They got the jump in the third.

Junior Angelica Arroyo tied the game with an RBI triple. Two batters later, senior Addie Vayas reached on an error, scoring sophomore courtesy runner Lulu Arroyo. After Vayas stole second, senior Sarah Leal ripped an RBI single to give Hays a 3-1 lead.

Fuller said working in the batting cages following the Mercedes series paid dividends. 

“The hitters came in more focused,” Fuller said. “We tried to hit the ball hard on the ground and put pressure on their defense.” 

But the Lady Panthers resurged in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on three Lady Rebel errors, highlighted by a two-run RBI single from senior Brooke Mangold. 

Hays’ defense settled in, supported by Leal in the circle. Leal went 13 innings in the series, striking out six. 

The Lady Rebels rallied in the fifth, aided by a bizarre play. Arroyo, who was at second base, was called out after colliding with a Medina Valley fielder. However, umpires overturned the call; it allowed her to score, cutting the Medina Valley lead to 5-4. 

Leal followed by dropping an RBI squeeze bunt, scoring senior Maddy Shannon to tie the game. Another run was added to give the Lady Rebels a 6-5 lead. 

Hays’ tenacity on offense was bolstered by Arroyo, who went 3 for 3 with two RBI’s. 

“We were just trying to relax and not let anything bother us, and just play our game,” Arroyo said. 

The Lady Rebels added a seventh run in the sixth via an RBI single from Shannon. 

But Medina Valley wouldn’t go away. They loaded the bases in the seventh with no outs. 

Leal stepped to the challenge, staving off the Medina Valley front for the win. Her pitching prowess proved problematic for Medina Valley in game two. 

Game Two: Leal’s dominance lifts Lady Rebs

The 2013 4-A State Champion Lady Rebels softball team defeated Medina Valley by a score of 4-0 to earn the sweep over the Lady Panthers. 

The Lady Rebels took charge of the game early on and committed no errors in their dominating defeat of Medina Valley. Rebel pitcher Sarah Leal was in rare form and held Medina Valley to 4 hits for the entire game. 

Medina Valley never got a runner past second base.

The Rebel defense put a stop to all of Medina Valley’s efforts to put runs on the board. Freshman third baseman Alyssa Martinez was a virtual wall at third base intercepting every ball that came her way.

Vayas, Shannon, sophomore catcher Haleigh Madden and sophomore first baseman Karina Rocha contributed to the defensive effort. The outfield, composed of Arroyo, sophomore Lulu Arroyo, and Lizzie Bowne caught every pop fly that went out to them with Angelica making the last catch of the game.

Offensively, senior designated player Michelle Pesina hit a solo home run in the fifth inning that essentially sealed the game for the Rebels. 

All of the Rebel bats were on fire. The Rebels managed to put runners on base virtually every inning.

Fuller and Rebels now begin preparation for their return trip to McCombs, and Aledo. While there is some familiarity, Fuller knows the Aledo lineup, which returns all members from 2013, will have state tournament experience. 

However, he believes Hays’ playoff run has prepared them for the big stage. 

 “I feel like we are ready to go. I don’t expect us to be nervous,” Fuller said. “I expect us to know what Aledo will throw at us, and be prepared to take on the challenge.”