High school softball bi-district roundup: See results, more from Fort Worth-area teams
The UIL softball bi-district round is here, and teams around the Fort Worth-area started their 2024 playoff runs.
Here is a roundup of games from schools in the Fort Worth-area.
Keller throttles Paschal in game three, advances to area round
Keller (23-8-2) opened up a massive lead against Paschal (20-17) with consistent offense and moved on to secure a 11-1 run rule victory in the sixth inning on Saturday at Saginaw High School to secure a bi-district series win.
Keller lost the opening game to Paschal on Friday following Samantha Garcia’s walkoff home run. The Indians responded with an 8-2 victory on Friday, and the momentum carried over.
Keller softball head coach Chad Cribbs said he is extremely happy to be moving on to the area round, where Keller will face Eastwood.
“Paschal can swing the bat. Paschal was hot,” Cribbs said. “They were coming off two big wins. Our girls responded. At the end of the day, they decided they didn’t want their season to end.”
Keller’s Sadie Beck tossed a complete game, allowing one run. Beck gave up four hits and struck out six Paschal batters, putting together another dominant performance; she also had two hits and two RBIs.
“That’s who she is,” Cribbs said. “From freshman year on. She just stepped up each year. Kept growing, and she took ownership of it this year. She knew she would be relied on heavily and she took care of that. I’m really proud of her.”
Beck said her changeup has been working this season and said he has full trust in her defense.
“If they put a ball in play, I don’t have to do everything myself,” Beck said. “My defense is always going to have my back. I don’t have to worry about the strikeouts.”
Keller, in the second inning, got a runner in scoring position due to a Paschal error. Lauren Kavanaugh put the Indians on the scoreboard with a single to center field.
Keller’s offense exploded for three runs in the third inning with some stellar two out hitting. Kaya Fabela delivered with a single and Carley Genzer followed it up with a 2 run HR to left center.
“Everyone was fired up to play today,” Beck said. “I think we all had each other’s backs. We weren’t trying to do too much. ... Everyone is used to trying to hit home runs but today what we needed to do was just keep it simple and rally.”
Keller, in the fourth inning, added to its lead with some elite base running from Cambree Cribbs, who tallied an infield hit. She saw second base was open and bolted for the free bag; Paschal made an errant throw due to the chaos created by Cribbs and Keller scored.
“The girls stepped up with the offense,” Cribbs said. “That took a lot of pressure off (Sadie Beck).”
Mackenna Jackson and Beck drove home two more runs in the frame. In the sixth inning, Jackson continued her strong performance with an RBI double.
Beck and Genzer added RBIs, and Kavanaugh walked it off with a single to center field. Genzer led the team offensively with two hits -- one home run -- and three RBIs.
Cribbs said the team will have to showcase continued offensive support to see success moving forward.
“We put a lot of pressure on Sadie (Beck) throughout the year,” Cribbs said. “When you get up a few runs, it makes it a lot easier to throw pitches. We’re going to need that from the get go. We play small ball but we hit a few runs today. I’m looking forward to us continuing things in the next round.”
Game one: Late three-run homer by Paschal stuns Keller
Fort Worth Paschal catcher Samantha Garcia hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over Keller in Game 1 of their Class 6A bi-district softball series at Saginaw High School.
Paschal (20-15), the fourth seed out of District 3-6A, had been through a gauntlet just to make the playoffs so facing 4-6A top-seed Keller didn’t faze the Panthers.
“We’ve been here before,” said Paschal coach Sarah Dokie-Reyes, whose team had dramatic, must-win victories just to reach the post season. “Our last two weeks have just been pressure filled. These girls just don’t give up and their resiliency is just amazing.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. back at Saginaw High with Game 3, if necessary, slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday at Saginaw.
Keller (21-8-2) scored two runs on a pair of errors, one mental and physical.
With two out in the top of the second and Cambree Cribbs at second and Landry Beaman at third, Mackenna Jackson was at the plate. Cribbs thought that Jackson had struck out and looked to be jogging off the field.
Cribbs made it three quarters of the way to third base before realizing that the side wasn’t retired and headed back to second, drawing a throw from Paschal pitcher Natalia Rojas. Beaman darted to the plate and beat the return throw home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.
Keller added a run in the top of the sixth when Indian’s starting pitcher Sadie Beck led off the inning with a lined a single to right. Kaiya Fabela, a Brigham Young signee, walked and Carley Genzer followed with an attempted sacrifice bunt.
Rojas got to the ball, but her throw to first was inside, into the runner, and got past Alex Vasquez to score Annsley Groce, who was pinch running for Beck. After a walk to Beaman loaded the bases for the Indians, Rojas got out of trouble with a liner to short that doubled off Tinsell Cribbs, who was running for Fabela, at third.
A ball dribbled in front of the plate by Keller’s Gracie Johnson hit her in fair territory for the final out.
Rojas pitched all seven innings for Paschal allowing the two runs, one earned, on five hits, five walks and two strikeouts. The Panthers played excellent defense behind Rojas.
In the bottom of the sixth, Rojas led off with a walk and Breanna Rodriguez singled with one out to put runners at first and second for the Panthers. Garcia followed with a towering shot to left field that just clear the wall to give Paschal the lead.
“She gave me an inside pitch and I knew that I could really hit inside pitches a lot better,” said Garcia, a senior that’s headed to the University of Texas at Tyler in the fall. “I saw the pitch and just hit it as hard as I could. We knew that Keller was going to be a really tough team, but our defense was in our favor today and so was our pitching.”
Beck, a Tarleton State signee, pitched well for Keller allowing the three earned runs scattering four hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts. Beck struck out eight batters in a row after Madison Howard led off Paschal’s half of the first inning with a pop out to first base.
Aledo throttles Everman twice, advances to area round
Aledo’s offense completely overwhelmed Everman in a UIL bi-district series on Thursday at Aledo High School.
The Bearcats (29-3) defeated Everman 15-0 in game one, ending the game with a run rule after the conclusion of the third inning. In game two, Aledo secured a 14-0 run rule victory in the fifth inning.
The Bearcats have had a stellar season, winning the District 5-5A championship with a perfect 12-0 record. Head coach Heather Myer’s squad has scored 243 more runs than its opponents.
“We really focus on being disciplined at the plate,” Myers said. “No matter what type of pitching that we’re seeing. We’re staying disciplined and focused.”
With the bi-district victory, the Bearcats will turn their attention to the area round; they’ll face Birdville or Midlothian.
What’s the key to making a deep playoff run? To Myers, it’s maturity at the plate and staying composed regardless of the situation.
“Not getting too big,” Myers said. “Not letting anything get too big. If we stay calm on defense and stay disciplined at the plat, we’ll be fine.”
Myer’s said the Bearcat’s Chemistry and compatibility has been one of the team’s biggest strengths. She said talented athletes as individuals won’t necessarily translate to championship success.
“They fight for each other on and off the field,” Myers said. “They’re willing to support each other no matter who is on or off the field. They are a true team, and that’s rare -- when you have athletes of this caliber who love each other It’s pretty special.”
Throughout both games, Everman’s defense struggled to make routine plays.
The Bulldogs were officially credited with 11 errors, although there were plenty of other defensive blunders: dropped balls, errant throws and a severe lack of awareness; Aledo took second base on multiple walks and advanced runners at will.
“We’ve always been aggressive,” Myers said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressively smart. ... It puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. They’ll always have to think about it in the back of their head.”
In game one, Aledo secured a 15-0 lead with a home run from Jordyn Edington and proceeded to take its foot off the pedal. Two Aledo runners were called out for leaving the bag early, which was a big help for the Bulldog defense.
Aledo batters stopped trying to record base hits, gifting outs to Everman on a silver platter by bunting to the pitcher’s mound. Still, the Bearcats managed to load the bases.
The Bearcat offense did more of the same in game two with multiple lineup changes. Kyleigh Pawlak led the way with five hits and five RBIs.
Brenlee Gonzales, Kennis Marx and Taylor McKean completed two combined no-hitters, tallying 21 total strikeouts.
Brewer rallies to take series against North Side
Fort Worth Brewer’s Karlie Landrum homered twice, including a three-run shot in the top of the seventh to give the Bears a 7-4 win over Fort Worth North Side in a Class 5A bi-district game on Friday at North Side’s Legacy Field.
The Bears defeated North Side 13-3 in five innings on Wednesday and North Side took Game 2, 11-7, on Thursday.
Brewer (12-18-2) moves on and will face Colleyville Heritage (25-10) in the area round next week. Colleyville Heritage swept Midlothian Heritage 4-2 and 15-14.
Every time North Side (17-7) would get a lead, Brewer would answer. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Steers pushed two runs across.
Natalie Olvera drew a leadoff walk and her pinch runner, Angelina Vasquez, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out to short by Mariana Calamaco.
Back-to-back doubles by Brigitte Martinez and Amira Segovia made it 2-0, but the Bears answered in the top of the fourth.
Landrum homered to right center to start the inning and Kamren Pride followed reaching on an error. Gia Castoreno, running for Pride, scored two batters later on a fielder’s choice ground out by Madisson Cearley to tie the game at two.
North Side took the lead again in the bottom of the fifth when the eighth intentional walk of the series to Steer’s slugger Maggie Castaneda backfired on Brewer. Mia Rodriguez followed Castaneda with a lined home run to left-center field to give the Steers a 4-2 lead.
“It sucks, it really does,” said Castaneda on being intentionally walked so many times in the series. “I put a lot of work in, working on my craft and I do strike out too, I did today, but it does suck to not get a chance. I know it’s a sign of respect, but it still hurts.”
Brewer answered right back again. Mia Serrato led off the top of the sixth with a homer to dead center over the 10-foot high wall. Then an intentional walk by North Side to Landrum backfired as well when Landrum scored on a sacrifice fly by Haylie Jimenez to knot the game at four.
A one-out walk to Aleana Urias followed by a single to right by Serrato in the seventh set up Landrum’s heroics. The senior blasted the first pitch she saw over the right field wall.
“Two home runs was crucial in this game and it was huge,” said Landrum. “I love the way this team battles through adversity. This team pushes through so hard and their drive to never give up is one thing I love about them.”
The first two runners for North Side in the bottom of the seventh reached on walks, but Landrum got a pop out and struck out the final two batters to end the game.
The win for North Side on Thursday was the program’s first playoff win in school history that North Side coach Alan Husbenet is aware of.
“That in itself was very special for us,” said Husbenet. “To be able to compete with a team like Brewer is very exciting.
“This group is just incredible. They’re the kind of kids that fight back and they don’t ever quit. They pick each other up and take care of each other and they’re just a great group of kids.”
Southlake Carroll rebounds to oust Boswell
Southlake Carroll scored five runs in the fourth inning of Game 3 of its Class 6A bi-district series then held off Fort Worth Boswell 9-4 to take the series and advance to the area round.
Carroll (28-7) will face El Paso Montwood (32-6-1) next week. Montwood swept Odessa Permian 9-8 in 8 innings and 5-3.
With the game tied 1-1, Emmy May led off the five-run fourth for the Dragons by getting hit by a pitch. Kelli Warden followed with an RBI double to deep left center to knock in May.
Carroll loaded the bases for Jordan Stewart who drove in two with a lined single, just inside the bag at third base. The Dragons sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth inning.
Boswell (23-9) rallied for three in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double that was lined to the wall in left center by Layla David. That cut the lead to 6-4, but that is as close as the Pioneers would get.
David led Boswell going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Sammy Petkus and Okivia McCarrick both went 2-for-5 for Carroll.
The Pioneers defeated Carroll 8-2 in Game 1 on Thursday, but the Dragons evened the series with a 2-1 win on Friday.
Granbury sweeps Fort Worth South Hills
Granbury earned a trip to the area round with an 11-0, five-inning win over Fort Worth South Hills on Thursday at Saginaw High School to sweep the Class 5A bi-district series 2-0.
The Pirates, the fourth seed out of District 5-5A, defeated 6-5A top seed South Hills 9-0 on Wednesday night.
Granbury (16-17) will now face the winner of the Joshua-Grapevine series. Joshua took Game 1 on Thursday night 12-4 over the Mustangs.
Alli Dafoe picked up the win inside the circle for the Pirates scattering five hits over five innings. Dafoe, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor signee, struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Rachel Venable went 3-for-3 at the plate for Granbury with three runs batted in, including a two-run triple in a four-run second inning.
Hanna Dafoe went 1-for-2 for the Pirates with two walks and three runs scored. Her two-run single sparked a four-run third for Granbury.
Jasmine Reyes singled twice in two at bats for the Scorpions.
SCORES
G2: Keller 8, Paschal 2
G3: Keller 11, Paschal 1 - Keller wins series
G1: Eaton 10, Trinity 4
G2: Eaton 12, Trinity 3 - Eaton wins series
G1: South Grand Prairie 4, Pearce 0
G1: Dallas Lake Highlands 5, Arlington 1 - Lake Highlands wins series
G1: Timber Creek 1, Weatherford 0
G2: Weatherford 10, Timber Creek 7
G3: Timber Creek 6, Weatherford 2 - Timber Creek wins series
G1: Boswell 8, Carroll 2
G2: Carroll 2, Boswell 1
G3: Carroll 9, Boswell 4 - Carroll wins series
G1: Irving 3, Haltom 2
G2: Haltom 4, Irving 3
G1: Martin 12, Nimitz 2 (5)
G2: Martin 16, Nimitz 5 (5) - Martin wins series
G1: Legacy 2, Hutto 1
G2: Legacy 16, Hutto 2 (5) - Legacy wins series
G1: Lake Ridge 4, Weiss 2
G2: Lake Ridge 7, Weiss 0 - Lake Ridge wins series
G1: Mansfield 15, Copperas Cove 13 - Mansfield wins series
G1: Burleson Centennial 2, Richland 1
G2: Burleson Centennial 11, Richland 1 - Centennial wins series
G1: Azle 9, Arlington Heights 0
G2: Azle 11, Arlington Heights 0 (6) - Azle wins series
G1: Colleyville Heritage 4, Midlothian Heritage 2
G2: Colleyville Heritage 15, Midlothian Heritage 14 - Colleyville Heritage wins series
G1: Brewer 13, North Side 3 (5)
G2: North Side 11, Brewer 7
G3: Brewer 7, North Side 4 - Brewer wins series
G2: Granbury 11, South Hills 0 (5) - Granbury wins series
G1: Joshua 12, Grapevine 4
G2: Joshua 5, Grapevine 4 - Joshua wins series
G1: Birdville 4, Midlothian 1
G2: Birdville 7, Midlothian 4 - Birdville wins series
This story was originally published April 26, 2024 at 12:54 AM.
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