Softball Hawks Have Awakening in Win over Bandera, 13-10
Put Bandera as the Visitor on the Score-board and the Rest is History!!
The awakening was eminent when Maddy Puente hit the poor softball like it was the reason for all those bad district games these past two weeks of District 28-4A. Cars that might have been on the road might be calling their insurance company with their story of softball size hail hitting their vehicle.
Way to Go Hawks!
There might be a permanent dent on that ball as it is certainly not round after it left Maddy Puente’s bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning while CL was down by a lopsided 8-0 score up to that shot. There was some nibbling on offense, with a walk and single after that homer, but the Bulldogs got out of trouble and still had a commanding, 8-1 lead.
Bandera got their run back to start the 3rd inning with a two-out double that was followed by a single that would get their 8 run lead back, with no harm done, 9-1.
The Lake has had problems in district scoring enough runs anyway and had been on the bad side of a 15-0 drubbing from Freddie on Tuesday, that had the game stopped after 3 innings. That same mind-set had to be in the minds of fans and players too, up unto that awakening. CL finally opened a door that had the Hawk’s eyes opened and ready to get back into this contest.
“It’s contagious and it makes us think anyone can get a hit,” Maddy Puente said when asked about her moonshot homer. On the difference between this night and that Freddie contest, “We shut down in the Fredericksburg game but we talked more and didn’t hesitate we were not afraid of the ball.”
That might be true, but those Softball’s have to be afraid of the Hawks after being pounded on this night.
This comeback ranks in the top 3 of all-time games for The Lake’s Softball team.
Home-Run Trio: Maddy Puente, Marley Carrizales, and Bailey Bryan in comeback win over Bulldogs, 13-10.
Maddy Puente was brought into the circle in the top of the 2nd inning after Kenzie Sayles was having trouble and that move was also a pivotable part of changing the type of pitch the Bulldogs would be seeing and that would give another advantage on this night.
Puente had given up some walks but Bandera had just 3 hits for the rest of this contest kept BANDera in the flute section with just singles, which put a stop to those Bass section doubles and slew of hits, that had started this evening.
The 3rd inning was the frame that put the Hawks within eyesight of Bandera, scoring 5 runs putting CL, with-in 3 runs, knowing anything can happen trailing, 9-6.
This inning had seven straight hits that emboldened the Lady Hawks from the top of the batting order that ended on an Angie Rodriguez double. Canyon Lake had yet to put a goose egg on the Bulldogs leash but that was coming as this awakening would be instilled, not only the bats, but pitching and defense. That trifecta is needed for a team to have a chance of dominating.
The top of the batting order would strike again when the first 5 Hawks reaching base and with that 3 more runs and a tied score after CL had stopped the dripping faucet in holding Bandera without a run in the top of that same inning, 9-9.
Way to Go Hawks!!
Puente would rinse and repeat for her next 2 innings and an exclamation point in the top of the 5th inning when Bandera loaded the bases with one out and the game still tied.
A full-count pop-up to the Catcher Kaylee Puente and then a ground ball to the Hoover Vacuum (Carrizales) cleaner, would leave those bases loaded and another chance for a Hawk lead.”
Carrizales on her defensive night, “I am more confident and have been telling myself to over-exaggerate when I am fielding a ball.” That exaggerating had Carrizales staying down longer in fielding the ball which had those defensive plays resulting in outs.
On what the difference was between this game in their Tuesday outing with Fredericksburg as both teams had commanding leads on The Lake, “We were having fun and we stayed loud in the dugout and engaged.”
Way to Go Hawks!!
That came about in the bottom of that same inning when Carrizlaes hit a sinking line drive to the left-fielder that went to the fence and a blur around the bases, that would have several Hawk fans calling up their eye-doctor for a check up. This inside the park homer would give The Lake their first lead of the evening, 10-9.
On if Carrizales would be able to make it around the bases, “I felt I would stop at 3rd base but Coach did not stop me and I just needed to go for it.” That she did.
“When I saw her (Carrizales) half-way to 3rd base I knew I would be sending her home,” Head Coach Hayley Galloway remembered. “Truth be known, I was thinking I would send her once I saw the ball go past the left-fielder.
A scoreless 6th inning would put things in motion for that last frame and Bandera would scratch across a run without a hit but two walks and a sacrifice would do enough damage that had this game back in neutral, 10-10.
The good news was having the top of the Hawk’s batting order ready for their 4th time to start an inning, in this game with a chance to put this game away as Canyon Lake would be wide awake for those upcoming festivities.
Carrizales would start off with a double that was followed by a Sayles single and runners at the corners for the all-time home-run Hawk leader, Bailey Bryan. A sacrifice fly would be enough but Bryan wanted more and produced the 3rd home-run on this night over the left-center field and final, 13-10 wide-eyed opening win.
Way to Plug Leaks, Go Hawks!
“We needed this and we played like we needed to play,” Bryan said with her Babe Ruth accent. “That first hit of the game (Puente’s homer) showed our team that we can get hits and that was the confidence we needed.”
Seventeen hits and putting the ball in play had Carrizales and Maddy Puente leading with 4 hits and all but two Hawks with a hit. Five extra base hits had a lot of Softballs in the whirlpool after the game as Canyon Lake will look to put that same hurt on those round rascals on Tuesday.
A lot of soul searching during the first round of district play that might have another Awakening when Boerne comes to the Hawk Nest on Tuesday and seeing a different CL team than the one that started this night.
“We can breath now,” Coach Galloway said with a sigh of relief. “We had been putting pressure on ourselves and that home-run breaded confidence and then we started throwing strikes…pretty simple game, get outs and score runs…. We needed this and I am proud of the way they stayed in the game!!”
Way to Score Runs & Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Bandera 5 3 1 0 0 0 1 10 11 3 CL Hawks 0 1 5 3 1 0 *3 13 17 4 *No outs when winning run scored. ab r h bi 2b hr bb so misc Marley Carrizales 5 4 4 1 1 1 0 0 Kenzie Sayles 5 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 Bailey Bryan 3 3 2 3 0 1 1 1 roe Maddy Puente 4 2 4 3 0 1 0 0 Adriana Peaslee 3 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 Jessie Melendez 3 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 Angie Rodriguez 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 roe Kaylee Puente 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 sac fc Rachel Tucker 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 13 18 11 2 3 3 2 Pitching ip h r er bb so Kenzie Sayles 1.1 8 8 8 1 0 Maddy Puente 5.2 3 2 2 6 7 hb Totals 7.0 11 10 10 7 7
