Softball: CL Hawks Beat Bandera, 16-0 & Force Seeded Game with Billies
Canyon Lake won their must win game against Bandera with some degree of authority to force a seeded game with Fredericksburg this coming Monday after disposing of the Bulldogs, 16-0.
Now the stage will be set for CL and the Billies to play their 3rd contest of the year for the right to be the first seeded team atop District 28-4A post season play.
The next round of playoffs will pit District 28-4A against District 27-4A schools. Here is the top 4 teams of each district below without knowing who that 1st-2nd seeded team named until next week.
District 27-4A & District 28-4A Texans/Bears Hawks/Billies Bears/Texans Billies/Hawks Navarro Bandera Gonzales Boerne
Their is only two items known about district pairings, after Friday’s battles, two seeded dates between the top 2 schools will need to be decided first.
CL has beaten Navarro earlier this year when the Panthers came to the Hawk Nest right before district started. Wimberley has had an upper hand in two games already with the Hawks.
So a win will have The Lake facing Gonzales and losing to the Billies will set up a date with Navarro for the first round of post season play.
In the Hawks game with Bandera, there was a different mind set for your Home Town Team as CL started their attack in the first inning and did not stop until a run-rule was declared in their win over Bandera.
“This was a great bounce-back game for us,” Head Coach John Gallagher said. “We came out strong early with our offense and didn’t let up. We had a big second inning with (Maddy) Puente’s home-run. Jessie Melendez hit the ball hard along with Bailey Bryan and Adriana Peaslee.”
All of those players mentioned above by Coach Gallagher had multi hit nights.
Coach Gallagher continued, “Our defense stepped up and made some big plays backing up Maggie Banks’ no hitter. She was in the zone all night. To hold a good hitting team like Bandera down was a tribute to the hard work we put in after Tuesday’s loss. We have to keep it going from here on out.”
Bandera had averaged over 7 runs in their last 10 games before this shut-out performance by The Lake.
Maggie Banks started in the circle and no-hit the Bulldogs while Maddy Puente impressed the crowd going 4 for 4 from the plate with 2 doubles and her first home-run of the season. With those Puente at bats, there would be 7 runs batted which helped in a major way for securing this victory.
Banks’ no-hit game was just what the doctor ordered as she was able to strike-out 7 Dogs in the process. The only concern were 4 errors but that problem was eradicated with CL’s pitching and hitting helping minimize those fielding flaws.
Canyon Lake has had 19 errors in their last three contests and those mis-plays will need the Hawks ordering bigger gloves to help off-set those shortcomings.
Marley Carrizales started this game off with a single and then stole 2nd base and eventual score when Maddy Puente singled to drive in that first run. Banks knocked in Bailey Bryan who had reached base on an infield hit, with a fielders choice ground ball to second base.
That would be all the runs needed on this night but, The Lake, would not be finished and added 5 more runs in the 2nd stanza.
Jessie Melendez was back in action for this evening and started off the 2nd inning with a double to center field. Kay Puente took one for the team when she was hit by the pitcher. Two on with no outs had Adriana Zunker laying down a sacrifice and reaching base on an error by the Bulldogs’ catcher.
Those next two Canyon Lake runs scored on an infield out and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carrizales. Bryan would join Kay Puente on the hit parade as she too was hit by a pitch putting two Hawks on base for Maddy Puente.
Then it happened, a line drive home run over the left field fence scoring 3 and giving CL a 7-0 lead going into the 3rd inning.
This year’s Hawks have the most home runs as a team with Puente’s homer giving CL, 13 for this season. Having 5 Ladies with that moniker, of a homer, is the most ever for Canyon Lake.
While Banks was taking care of business in the circle, CL would keep on scoring with another run in the 4th inning. Melendez got her second hit and Kay Puente would follow suit giving CL two on with just one out.
Adriana Zunker’s sacrifice fly drove in Melendez for a Hawk, 8-0 lead.
Bryan would double in the next frame and score on a Maddy Puente double. Then Adriana Peaslee’s single would finish CL’s scoring in the 4th and a commanding, 10-0 lead.
But wait, Canyon Lake has had leads like this before and suddenly would lose focus in letting their opponent back into the contest. Bandera and Boerne come to mind to refresh the Hawk fans memory and now the proof would come in how this group of players had learned from those previous battles.
The answer would present itself in that 5th inning when Canyon Lake would leave no doubt after scoring 6 more runs and a final score, 16-0.
Maddy Puente would have her 2nd double of the evening to start the scoring in that final inning with 2 runs. Peaslee double the double parade in scoring another bevy of runs with Kaitlyn Cox knocking in those final two CL runs across the plate.
Good signs going into that final district game on Monday as CL had production from up and down the batting order with quality at bats. Those type of happenings keep innings going and thusly, more runs scored.
With the second part of the good game trinity coming inside the pitcher’s circle would give you the same formula needed in their next contest when the Billies come calling for an important seeding battle.
Canyon Lake vs. Fredericksburg will take place at Boerne Champion High School with the first pitch set for 7;00pm.
Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 5 R H E CL Hawks 2 5 1 2 6 16 14 4 Bandera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ab r h bi 2b hr bb so misc Marley Carrizales 4 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 sb Kenzie Sayles 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Bailey Bryan 2 4 2 0 1 0 1 0 sb hbp Maddy Puente 4 3 4 7 2 1 0 0 Maggie Banks 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 Adriana Peaslee 4 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 Jessie Melendez 3 2 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kay Puente 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 sb hbp Adriana Zunker 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 sf sac roe ph Kaitlyn Cox 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 pr Rachel Tucker 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 totals 28 16 14 14 5 1 5 1 pitching ip h r er bb so W L Maggie Banks 5 0 0 0 2 7 12 7 pitches-strikes: 82-47