Hawk Softball: FINALLY, 4-1
Canyon Lake Softball got their first district win over the first place, Wimberley Texans, 4-1 on Senior Night at the Hawk Nest.
Yes, it was a long time in coming as the Hawks proved that they were not as bad as their record indicated.
“We played so well,” Head Coach John Gallagher said relieved. “We talked about what we needed to do in pre-game and they came out focused and came out and did well.”
This win had all three of the basics working on this night as the fielding, pitching and hitting combined for this long in coming victory.
Kirsten Jones went out in style in raising her batting average to .493 and a Hawk record (so far) .598 on base percentage.
Not to mention 2 more stolen bases giving her 27 for the season which would rank only behind the batter Jones bats behind, Carley Dubois.
“Knowing this was my senior year…I knew I was wanting to put it together,” Jones said evaluating the high bar she had built this season. “I have the skill and work ethic and this year I was just going to put it in action and I believed in myself.”
Dubois and Jones totaled 3 of the 4 runs giving the spark needed for this much needed win.
This year’s team also hit the 100 mark in stolen bases another Hawk record.
The Hawks had struggled by going winless in their last 12 games before breaking all the jinxes known to mankind in order to get that proverbial monkey off their back.
Good softball was the best way in beating this jinx and that part of the game was evident throughout this contest.
Carley Dubois has been the catalyst for 3 years in helping establish an offense that can score runs and those numbers are evident as the Junior Centerfielder has upped her batting in each campaign.
Carley Dubois (one game remaining) Season Stats: ab runs hits stolen bases batting ave. Freshman 97 37 39 19 .402 Sophomore 82 18 34 18 .415 Junior 94 32 49 40 .521 totals 273 87 122 77 .447
In fact, this season has seen Jones also raise her game to Dubois standards as this Senior Second Baseman had a year to remember.
Looking at her Junior and Senior year will give you an indication of the strides this athlete accomplished.
Jones Stats ab runs hits stolen base bat ave on base pct Junior 66 18 20 7 .303 .352 Senior 73 33 36 27 .493 .598
Here are the all-time top 5 Hawks in batting average, on base percentage and stolen bases for a season.
batting average on base percentage stolen bases Carley Dubois .521 ’16 Kirsten Jones .598 ’16 Carley Dubois 40 ’16 Kirsten Jones .493 ’16 Carley Dubois .563 ’16 Kirsten Jones 27 ’16 McKenna Beseda .457 ’13 Kelsey Ahrens .556 ’15 McKenna Beseda 24 ’13 Brianna Young .439 ’14 Missy Romero .549 ’12 Carley Dubois 19 ’14 Missy Romero .429 ’12 Alexis Robinson .548 ’14 McKenna Beseda 18 ’12 Carley Dubois 18 ’15
A winless team in district play took down a first place team, when 9 times out of 10, a team on top would have lapped their opponent on a night like this.
The Texans left 7 batter’s stranded on the base paths as their only inning of consequence was one run scored in their 4th inning when Kylee Allmand led off that stanza with a triple and scoring on a Allie Messenger single.
With an error two batters later having what had (in the past) turned a Hawk possible win into a, I can’t believe we lost again game.
The next Texan popped out to Freshman Short-Stop Bailey Bryan to end the inning. Breaking that strangle hold….Finally!
This was Senior night and Tiare Kacir had been marred in a slump that had lowered her batting average by over 40 points, but on this special night she had a solid hit up the middle for a single after a Kat Weber rope for a triple to lead off that 2nd inning.
“I was just wanting and hoping for a win,” Kacir said on finally getting a ball to hit. “Ohhh, we got this was what I was thinking when we made it through the 5th inning.”
Canyon Lake’s lead was a precarious, 2-1 advantage, but the Hawks responded with a 2 run spot in the 5th inning to give more breathing room.
Dubois started with a line shot single to centerfield and then Jones had another patented bunt single that put pressure on the Texans and a fielders choice rbi off the bat of Alexis Robinson scored that first run.
The Hawks did have a roller-coaster moment when Jones was caught in between home and 3b on a failed suicide squeeze play.
Jones looked like she was playing a game of ping-pong by her self in the run down but Finally reached third base safely. That was an instance these past 11 games when that incident would be an out but not on this night. Finally.
“I knew she could get out of it with her speed,” Coach Gallagher assessed. “If you can get more than 3 throws then your odds come up.”
Kat Weber had a single that scored Jones two batters later and CL took a 3 run lead into their last two innings.
Robinson disposed of the Texans in her last 3 innings retiring 9 of the next 11 Texans and a Hawk win.
“I was thinking at the beginning of the game that this was our last home game and I just wanted to have fun and play for each other and end with a win,” Robinson said with a smile on her winning face.
On when she had an idea that this might be that win? “During the 6th inning, we weren’t rushing and staying in the moment…I am definitely going to miss playing here but I do have a lot of things ahead for me.”
Robinson, with this win, notched her 39th for the Hawks as she could change her middle name to ‘Record’ as this young lady will leave the Hawk Nest with a lot of those rascals in toll.
“We played to win and did not play to lose,” Coach Gallagher said while looking like a Doctor that just cured Diabetes.
FINALLY!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Wimberley 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 2 CL Hawks 1 1 0 0 2 0 X 4 9 2 name ab r h bi 3b bb so sb ave Carley Dubois 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 .521 Kirsten Jones 3 1 3 1 0 0 0 2 .493 Alexis Robinson 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 .393 Lauren Mentzer 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .361 Kat Weber 3 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 .382 Maggie Banks 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .197 Bailey Bryan 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 .364 Tiare Kacir 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Emma Wetz 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .105 ph Char Hutson 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .162 totals 26 4 9 4 1 1 6 5 pitching ip h r er bb so hb era Alexis Robinson 7 5 1 1 2 4 1 2.30 pitches balls/strikes total Alexis Robinson 30/66 96 wp: 1