Lady Cats Improve to 2-0 In District Play
The No. 13 ranked Sulphur Springs Lady Cats hit the road Tuesday, traveling to Pittsburg for their first road trip of district play. Despite it being almost a full week since their last game, the Lady Cats had momentum on their side, coming off a big 18-1 win over Paris in their district opener.
Being the road team, Sulphur Springs got to hit first Tuesday, and leadoff hitter Emerson Thompson did her best to set the tone, hitting a double to left. Unfortunately that would be the only hit of the first running, as the next three batters went down in order, stranding the leadoff Thompson on second base.
In the bottom of the frame it was once again ace Crimson Bryant in the circle. Bryant, who’s already been off to an incredible senior campaign, kept the strong play going, striking out the side in order and setting the tone for yet another impressive pitching performance.
The top of the second is when Sulphur Springs was able to break through with a huge offensive inning. Catcher Anahi Velasquez got the scoring started, hitting an one-out double to drive in Bayler Boatman and KK Montgomery.
Kinley Friddle followed with a walk and Thompson followed with her second hit of the day, loading the bases for senior centerfielder Jadyn Harper. Harper drew a walk to extend the lead to 3-0, before Reese Ragan hit a two-run single, now putting the Lady Cats ahead 5-0.
Still with just one out in the frame, Bryant and Boatman hit back-to-back RBI singles, making the Sulphur Springs lead 7-0. The final run of the inning came when Montgomery was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing in Katie Johns and giving the Lady Cats an 8-0 lead going into just the bottom of the second.
Now working with an eight-run lead, Bryant continued her dominating performance. The senior ace was able to get the first batter of the inning to ground out, before striking out the next two batters, keeping her perfect game in check through two frames.
The Lady Cats never let their offensive momentum die, having just as impressive of a third inning as they did second inning. Sulphur Springs would drive in another eight runs in the frame, doing so on seven hits, including back-to-back doubles from Gracie Adair and Montgomery.
Now with a 16-0 lead, Bryant took the circle for one final inning of work. Bryant did allow her first base runner of the game with a hit-by-pitch, but she also added another three strikeouts to her ledger, finishing the game with eight strikeouts in three innings of work.
The scoring came to a halt in the fourth inning for Sulphur Springs. Johns’ did keep the inning alive with a two-out single, but that was the only offense they could muster, having to be complacent with a 16-run lead for the time being.
Adair took over the pitching duties in the bottom of the fourth, walking the second batter she faced. Pittsburg took advantage of the opportunity by hitting a two-run homer, finally putting themselves on the board and cutting the deficit to 16-2.
The Lady Cats wasted no time getting those runs back, immediately loading the bases to open the top of the fifth. What followed was Abbey Goldsmith hitting a grand slam, to get the runs back and then some.
Sulphur Springs kept the inning going, once again loading the bases. This time it was Friddle who singled to drive in one run, bringing the Lady Cats final total on the day to 21 runs.
In the bottom of the fifth, Pittsburg needed a miracle to keep the game going any longer. They did try their best, and were even able to plate another pair of runs in the frame. Unfortunately for them, that was all they could do, and the Lady Cats walked away with the dominating 21-4 win.
Bryant was once again awarded the win, throwing three shutout innings and being just one hit-by-pitch away from being perfect. She also struck out eight batters in the time, recording just one out that wasn’t a strikeout.
Offensively, it was the duo of Harper and Adair who filled the stat sheet the most. The two batters went a combined 6-for-9, driving in two runs and scoring four times.
Other batters with multi-hit games for the Lady Cats included Thompson, Ragan, Bryant and Friddle. Batters with multi-rbi games included Goldsmith, who drove in four on the grand slam, Montgomery and Velasquez.
On the night, Sulphur Springs tallied 21 runs on 18 hits and only struck out once the entire game. The win improves their overall record to 16-4 on the year and keeps them at a perfect 2-0 in district play.
So far in district action, the Lady Cats have scored a ridiculous 39 runs in two games and have allowed just five runs. Sulphur Springs returns home Friday night to face North Lamar. Stay tuned to Front Porch News for continued coverage of the Sulphur Springs Lady Cats.
