CL Softball have Senior Moment, Beat Texans, 3-2
Canyon Lake continued their week of comebacks by beating Wimberley, 3-2 last
McKenna Beseda
Friday night on Senior Night.
The Hawks beat another team that was over them in district play in a must win scenario and puts CL in a position to forge into the playoffs for the second year in a row.
District 26-3A has a crowded field atop the standings as four of the six teams find themselves with just one game of separation.
Canyon Lake drew first blood when McKenna Beseda reached base on an error and then completed the play when Wimberley’s short stop could not hold onto the ball as Beseda slid into second base.
After McKenna completed her tear on the base baths stealing third base, Senior Missy Romero scored Beseda on a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, Senior Romero was on a tear from the circle as she struck out five of the first six batters on her way to a game total of 14 strikeouts.
By the second inning the Texan’s crowd was applauding a Wimberley player that had foul ball.
“I try to keep the score as close as I can,” Pitcher Romero pitched. “I was hitting my spots.”
Hitting her spots was an understatement as she struck out 14 of the 30 batters she faced.
In the third inning, Canyon Lake struck for another run, when short stop Vicky Henderson led off the inning with a slap single.
“My confidence and timing is really good right now,” Short stop Henderson said. “It was my idea to switch places at the plate and I like slapping.”
Slap Single? Yes, Henderson came to the left side of the plate and then after the first pitch, switched to the right side. You have heard of switch hitters on different at bats and this was a switch hitter on the same at bat.
Then with two outs, Senior Romero responded with a double driving in another run for the Hawks and a two run lead.
Wimberley responded in the six inning when the first batter reached base on an error and then the Texans had two doubles that hit the chalk in both instances.
This was the only inning where Senior Romero did not strikeout a Texan.
The two runs tied up the score and put some pressure on a must win game for CL.
The top of the seventh inning, Senior Mary Caroline Jordan caught a screamer to centerfield which proved to be an important out as as the next two Texans reached base on a walk and error.
“I was really not thinking about it,” Senior Jordan said when responding to the catch in centerfield.
Pressure was handled well by the visitors as Canyon Lake loaded the bases in the bottom of the six, but could not finish the deal when Lillie Sander grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
The seventh inning also had a Hawk on second base, but was called out trying to steal third base ending the inning.
Then another Hawk had another Senior moment when Senior Romero led off the eighth inning with her second double and then was moved to third on a single from LiliMae Daily.
“I have an advantage of being a pitcher,” Romero stated when coming to bat and knowing how the Umpire is calling balls and strikes.
Daily also had an important hit after allowing the inning to continue after having an error on a sharp grounder in the top of that same inning.
“I have to not allow that one error to kill us,” Daily interjected. “I had to refocus and I noticed that the first baseman stands back and doesn’t charge as fast, then I can rely on my speed to reach base after I bunt.”
With one out, Freshman Kelsey Ahrens, then got her bat on the ball allowing Senior Romero to score from third on a fielders choice giving the Hawks a hard fought victory over Wimberley.
“We knew that was ahead and what we needed to do,” Head Coach John Gallagher said when commenting on how wide the strike zone would be in this game. “We did not give up and we (Coaches) put pressure on the team to try to get them angry and get them to step up.”
Now Canyon Lake goes on the road for their final two games of the regular season.
Another week where the Hawks will now try to have some Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior moments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Wimberley 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 4 3
CANYON LAKE 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 2
Name ab r h bi 2b 3b hr bb so misc
cf Jordan 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 sac
lf Beseda 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 roe, sb
p Romero 3 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 sf
c Young 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
1b Daily 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 sac
3b Ahrens 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
2b Riccio 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
ph Schoettle 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
rf Sander 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
rf Broussard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ss Henderson 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1
Totals 30 3 9 3 2 0 0 0 7
Pitching ip r er h bb so np w l
Missy Romero 8 2 0 4 2 14 120 12 8
