Hawk’s Softball Beat 7th Ranked Navarro, 6-4
Bailey Bryan had a solid game in the field and at the plate with win over Navarro. (photo by Karen Holmes)
Canyon Lake held on for their best win to date as Bailey Bryan’s 2-run homer in the 2nd inning proved to be the two runs needed for a win, 6-4.
Go Canyon Lake Hawks!!
Navarro came into this contest sporting just one loss and ranked 7th in the State according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association Poll taken on February 27, of this year.
Maggie Banks pitched 5 innings giving up 4 runs but non of those were earned as the Hawks had fumbleitis in the 3rd and 4th innings.
CL scored all their runs with 2 outs as Adrianna Peaslee started with a one-out single. Jessie Melendez reached base on an error and then Adriana Zunker was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
K Puente reached on a fielder’s choice when Peaslee was out on a grounder at the plate. Now the bases were still loaded but having 2 outs would have to be overcome.
The good news was having the top of the batting order ready to take advantage as Marley Carrizales singled, Kenzie Sayles reaching on the 2nd Panther error of the inning and now the Hawks had scored 4 runs for a lead that would last through the rest of the game.
Luckily Canyon Lake was not quite through and Bailey Bryan was up next when she hit a towering home-run over the right field fence to plate the final two Hawk tallies for an exclamation point to this 6 run inning.
“It felt good off my bat,” Bryan ‘Ruth’ said with resolve. “I have had a lot of practice and I am feeling more comfortable and more confident…Bryan said in response to how well she is hitting this season. “I will take it pitch by pitch tomorrow.”
The Hawks would threaten several times after those 6 runs but with no positive results.
Good defense did come back to the Hawk’s side of the field and Zunker was in on many of those ground outs playing 2nd base.
Go Lady Hawks!!
“I was focused,” Zunker remembered. “Our defense got stronger and we got a lot of good work in.”
Zunker also gave her rendition on how this season started to how much better this group is playing at this moment.
“We started off rusty,” Zunker continued. “We had a lot of new girls playing and with more games we are starting to minimize our errors…We will need to come out strong tomorrow and keep it going.”
Banks would get the win and Maddy Puente came in for the final two innings to seal the deal. in the top of the 6th inning, Navarro did have a player on base but a strike-out throw-out double play closed that threat and Maddy Puente would use 7 pitches in that final stanza for CL’s 6th straight win for this season.
On what the thinking was on having M. Puente relieving Banks, Coach Gallagher said, “Maggie was getting a little wild and they (Navarro) had their 7-8-9 hitters coming to bat so I thought we needed a change.”
Proud of the Lady Hawks!!
It was a Puente double play as Maddy pitched the strike-out and K Puente would calmly throw out the Panther base runner on second to erase any hope for a Navarro run in that frame.
On what this win means for this team, Coach Gallagher said with resolve, “This is a game we needed against tough competition and this win will give us confidence and help get us back to where we need to be.”
Now Canyon Lake will be back in action on Saturday with 2 more games in Johnson City as they will try to get back to a .500 record with two victories.
Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Navarro 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 4 5 4 CL Hawks 0 6 0 0 0 0 x 6 10 5 ab r h bi eb bb so sb misc Carrizales 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 roe Sayles 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 roe Bryan 4 1 2 2 hr 0 1 0 fc M Puente 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Banks 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 roe Peaslee 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Melendez 3 1 1 0 t 0 0 0 roe Zunker 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 hbp K Puente 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 fc totals 30 6 10 5 2 0 7 0 pitching ip h r er bb so misc W L S Maggie Banks 5.0 4 4 0 1 1 wp 5 4 Maddy Puente 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 pitches-strikes: Banks 71-46 Puente 21-15
