Aledo falls short of ultimate goal, Ladycats beaten by Barbers Hill in 5A softball final
Aledo’s quest of its fourth UIL softball state championship came to a stop from Texas signee Sophia Simpson and Mount Belvieu Barbers Hill, 4-1, in the Class 5A final on Saturday at McCombs Field at the University of Texas.
Simpson (21-0), who is ranked a Top 10 recruit in the nation, was voted state title game MVP with four hits allowed, one unearned run, three walks and 14 strikeouts. The Eagles win their first softball title in their fourth state appearance. The Eagles previously went 0-3 in state semifinal games.
Aledo finishes the year with a 29-8 record and fifth appearance at state, and first since 2015. The Ladycats beat Georgetown, 8-5, in Friday’s state semifinal.
“Tough loss. We’ve worked hard all season to get here,” Aledo coach Heather Myers said. “Facing a tough pitcher like that, I feel like we were prepared, but we struggled laying off the rise ball there toward the end. Barbers Hill is a great team all around, just a tough loss.
“So many memories. The ability to overcome all the adversity they had to face all year. They’ve dealt with every type of game, having to come back, all sorts of stuff, and that’s what I’ll remember the most.”
The Ladycats hurt themselves with four errors on the day, including two in the top of the first inning that resulted in two runs. Delaney Dunham drew a one-out walk and Estela Garza singled over the right fielder that scored Dunham. The Eagles added another run on the same play with a second Aledo error.
But Aledo starting pitcher Kayleigh Smith wouldn’t allow another run and kept the Ladycats in the game for the next four innings.
“Kayleigh did her job,” Myers said. “We have to play better defense. We can’t have four errors and expect to win.”
Barbers Hill put runners on the corners in the second, but Smith induced a grounder to first baseman Texas Ray. The Eagles put two more runners in scoring position in the third, but Smith got a strikeout and pop fly to center fielder Marissa Powell. Smith would allow just one base runner through the next two innings after that.
Aledo’s best chance to score came in the bottom of the third. Trailing 2-0, the Ladycats got a one-out walk from Mississippi State commit Macy Graf, who then picked up her first of three stolen bases. After a interference call on the Barbers Hill third baseman, Aledo had the bases loaded with one out.
However, Simpson got a strikeout and fly out to end the threat.
The Ladycats cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth inning. Graf beat out an infield single, stole second and scored on an RBI single from Reagan Davis. Davis advanced to third with no outs, but Simpson fanned back-to-back batters and forced a pop fly to limit the damage.
“[Simpson] went 27 innings without giving up a run and we broke that, that’s awesome, but we left too many runners stranded, and we can’t do that. We have to be better and a find way,” Myers said.
Barbers Hill put up some insurance runs in the top of the sixth with back-to-back RBI from Faith Guidry and Kaitlyn Dutton, who doubled to left center to score Guidry from first base.
Simpson, who threw 125 pitches and 84 strikes, struck out the side in the sixth. Graf singled in the seventh and swiped her third bag, but Simpson ended the game with her 14th strikeout.
Smith (18-6) gave up two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Aledo will be a contender next season with an experienced roster. The Ladycats lose just two seniors, both starters, in catcher Morgan Brown (Arkansas Rich Mountain softball) and left fielder Audrey Pearce (Houston Baptist volleyball).
“Kayleigh Smith is a dynamic pitcher who worked hard every day for her teammates,” Myers said. “She’s without a doubt a bulldog on the mound. Nothing phases her. Can’t wait to see her continued growth in this game. Great young lady, great athlete and even better teammate.
“Huge loss with Morgan behind the plate. She’s a calming force for our pitches, keeps them stable and gives them what they need. Audrey with her speed in the outfield and at the plate. Losing those two ... it’s going to be hard to replace.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2021 at 8:36 PM.
