Softball: Hawks ‘Finish’ in Win over Navarro, 3-2
Canyon Lake will need to take classes on what it takes to blow out a team as the Hawks once again played with danger, winning with the bases loaded over Navarro, 3-2.
Alexis Robinson has her arm iced down because of how hard she hit her home-run!!
“It was obviously a big motivator and it will help put us up mentally as we go into our game Friday,” Head Coach John Gallagher said. “We had been in an uphill battle and we were just not finishing.”
Navarro scored one run in the second and third innings after the first batter led off with a walk, which resulted in pressure for CL as they would have to beat the Panthers Ace Cowan with very little being shown in those first three innings.
Kirsten Jones was the spark in that fourth inning as she had a perfect bunt single with one out to get things going. Jones extended her hitting streak to four games with the hit.
Alexis Robinson would be the Hawks next hitter and a 7 pitch battle ended with a shot over the left field fence where cars driving into the sports complex might have had a chance of reported seeing ‘softball’ size hail falling.
“I was expecting to hit the ball and just make contact,” Robinson said. “I wasn’t expecting a home run.”
Yes, the ball was hit with some kind of authority resulting in a tied score, 2-2.
Kelsey Ahrens reached base on a left fielder’s error helping to extend this inning.
After a strikeout and two outs, Lauren Mentzer then hit a missile to the short stop who overthrew the first baseman allowing the runners to advance two bases giving Canyon Lake what would be the winning run.
Mentzer also had CL’s first hit in the second inning that dinger would touch the chalk in left field for her first extra base hit for her Hawk career.
Robinson settled down after her home run as she retired the next 9 Panthers setting up the drama in the 7th inning.
Recent games had seen Canyon Lake give up 7 runs with two losses as a result in that last inning.
On this night, Robinson started off the inning with a strike-out, but then three consecutive walks with all those free passes coming with full counts on the hitter.
“I was nervous in that last inning,” Robinson remembered. “I was not confident at all….then, I just told myself that I am just going to throw the ball and do my job.”
Robinson would have a conference with Coach Gallagher and quickly responded with her second strikeout in the inning and having Navarro with one more chance to tie or take the lead in this game.
“I talked to her (Robinson) the inning before and just wanted her to slow down her delivery before her pitches,” Gallagher recalled. “I just wanted her to let her defense do the work.”
The defense responded when a short pop up to second baseman Lizzy Henderson would give Canyon Lake their first district win that could very easily have your Hawks on top with 3 wins if those two first games could have finished in a similar fashion.
Finishing the game with a win was a must and now Canyon Lake can hope to build on this confidence as they travel to Cuero for this Friday’s game.
With just one error, Canyon Lake played solid defense helping the Hawks keep Navarro from threatening until that last inning.
“If we can push through this game then we will have it good,” Robinson finished.
This was a good win as Canyon Lake will now see how they can beat Cuero without the drama.
Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Navarro 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 CL Hawks 0 0 0 3 0 0 x 3 5 1 name ab r h bi 2b hr bb so misc Carly Dubois 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 sb 2 Kirsten Jones 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 sb Alexis Robinson 3 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 Kelsey Ahrens 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 roe Kat Weber 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Lauren Mentzer 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 roe cs Lizzy Henderson 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Cameron Berger 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Tiare Kacir 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 totals 24 3 5 2 1 1 0 8 pitching ip h r er bb so Alexis Robinson 7 2 2 2 6 7 wp: 1 pitches/strikes: 125/76
