One More Step
Lady Mustangs seek regional title
COMMERCE, Texas— Hughes Springs knows this will be one more hurdle the Lady Mustangs will have to clear, and they're prepared.
The top-ranked team in the state in 3A, Hughes Springs takes on No. 7 Howe in a bestof-3 Region II-3A championship series at Texas A&M University-Commerce's John Cain Family Softball Field today and Saturday. The opener is set for 6 p.m., and Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. If the teams split, a third game will be played following a 30-minute intermission.
“Howe is similar to us: they have two pitchers who are good, they're athletic, have a couple kids who can hit for power, a couple kids who are pretty fast, and are pretty solid defensively,” Hughes Springs coach Tisha Thompson said. “We tell our girls that every round the competition is going to get better, the teams are going to get better, and it's going to get harder for us. We've got to get better every round, and we have.”
The Mustangs (32-3) fought back from an opening 3-2 loss to Lone Oak to take the semifinal series with 4-0 and 5-1 victories. Howe (20-5) slipped past Hooks, 7-6 and 10-1, sandwiched around a 12-10 loss to the Lady Hornets.
“We've got a successful group of girls, who are juniors and sophomores this year,” Thompson said. “They've
been playing together since they were old enough to play, and that definitely helps. They've played a lot of softball, and that's been the key to our success to have a group of girls who have played together since they were young.”
Zoe Lanier and Marisol Kennedy will team up in the circle for Hughes Springs. Kennedi Northam starts at catcher, Shelbie Fickling at first base, Haylee Wilson at second, Abbye McKinney or Pearl Perry will play third, and Kensley Echols at shortstop for the Mustangs. The outfield consists of Charlie Reeves in left, Peyton Blythe in center, and Katelyn Roth in right.
“We need to play our game; play the way we play,” Thompson said. “We need to jump on them early, and if we can do that we can probably do a lot of damage.”
The winner advances to the UIL Class 3A state tournament as the Region II champion. The 3A semifinals are scheduled for 3 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 31 at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, and the state finals are at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 1.