Lady Tigers softball earns state spot; Tigers baseball close on their heels

The Lady Tigers softball team took two of three from Round Rock Cedar Ridge to catapult them to the State Div 2 tourney. They will open with Kingswood (32-4-1). This will be the sixth appearance at the big show for the Lady Tigers (1995, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017). Although the results well could have been the same, the new state format of dividing the championships into large school, small school enrollment certainly provided a more level playing field for many.

The Tigers baseball team (26-9) are cruising through the playoffs as well and need one more series win to put them in the State Div 2 tourney. This would be their fourth appearance (1984, 1996, 1998). This past week in the Regional semis, the Tigers used their strong pitching staff and defense against Laredo Alexander and shut them out both times (2-0, 5-0). The wins pit them against Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (31-3-1) in the Regional finals. PSJA reached the finals by taking two wins over our district rivals, Westlake, 11-4, 3-1.

For the Lady Tigers series with Cedar Ridge, ironically the home team won every game. So it was a good thing Dripping Springs was the home team twice. In the first game it took 8 innings to subdue CR 4-3. Cedar Ridge turned around and took the second game 6-1. The strain got to be too much for CR as the Lady Tigers jumped on them early and late for the 8-1 clincher.

Vs CR1: Dripping Springs would take a 1-0 lead after one and that would do until the fifth when CR pushed across two. DS tied it in the sixth and CR took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth. Undaunted as usual, the Lady Tigers crossed the plate twice to take the 4-3 victory even though being outhit 12-5. Elianna Amato and Tatum Green led the attack with two hits each. Sadie Bradford had the other and a RBI. Jai-Lynn Flores added 2 RBIs. Morgan Riley, McKenna Riley and Emma Phillips had the runs. Bradford took the mound and tossed a complete game for the win, 8IP, 12H, 3R, 2ER, 1W, 2K.

Vs CR2: In this game, the Lady Tigers would finally get their run in the sixth. In the meantime CR would get all of theirs in fourth. Again CR would outhit DS 8-5. Green would again get two hits, plus a run. Others were Taylor Crain, Lillian Wearden and Lorelei Gamble (RBI). Green would also take the rubber with 6IP, 8H, 6R, 3ER, 1W, 0K.

Vs CR3: After CR had a solo homerun in their top of the first, the clincher was all Lady Tigers in all areas. They would outhit them 10-3, have a single run in the first, 2 in the second and fifth and topped it off with three in the sixth.

Gamble, for the most part in the playoffs, has had to wait patiently for an at-bat that did not include an intentional walk. And with good reason. She has 22 homeruns and 13 triples on the season. One can understand that putting her on base is still like getting a single but better than her long ball abilities being in play. In this game they decided to pitch to her and she responded with three hits, including a double and triple and one RBI.

Others contributing with the bat were Crain with 2 and a run, Lauren Byrnes, a hit and a run, Phillips 1H, 2R, Bradford 1H, 1 RBI, Green, 1H, 1R, Flores, 2B, 2 RBI. Bradford had another masterful game on the mound with 7IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3W, 3K.