SAN ANTONIO — The Dripping Springs High School softball team swept San Antonio’s O’Connor High School Panthers in an Area playoff best-of-three game series, with a 3-2 win at Northside Field Thursday, May 1, and a 2-0 shutout win on the Lady Tigers’ home field.
In the first game of the series, Sadie Bradford, the Lady Tigers starter, went the distance against O’Connor, pitching seven innings without a walk, giving up four hits, striking out three and allowing the Panthers their only two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
“The first inning was a little shaky, but she settled down, got hitters out with her change ups and played really good defense in the circle fielding the ball and no walks,” pitching and assistant coach Paige Shaffer said.
The Lady Tigers struck out nine times at the plate, and with only three hits off of Panther’s pitcher Faith Mayfield, managed to score a pair of runs in the third inning and another in the fourth, while keeping O’Connor off the scoreboard for six straight innings for the 3-2 win. Lorelei Gamble hit a triple, Bradford doubled and Taylor Crain got the other hit.
Dripping Springs got another complete game out of their starter in the second game of the series at their home field. Tatum Green, like Bradford in the first game, didn’t get a lot of strikeouts, but didn’t need to, as the Lady Tigers defense did their job with a .971 fielding percentage and one error as a team. Green gave up four hits and no walks, but did hit a batter.
The game was scoreless until Dripping Springs got the party started with its lead-off batter in the bottom of the third inning. Gamble, who is rarely pitched to, often walked (46 on the season) and many of those times intentionally, blasted a pitch from the Panther’s fearless freshman Mayfield well over the left field fencing for her twenty-third home run of the season and a 1-0 lead. It was her first homer since she hit two home runs in a 12-2 win April 17 against Westlake High School.
“It felt great. When I saw that pitch, I knew it was the best one I was going to get so I had to swing and I’m glad I did,” Gamble said after the game. “I think it opened a door for us.”
Mayfield may not have heard about Jai-Lynn Flores, a former pitcher now playing first base, who was in rehab due to an injury until returning to the roster in the middle of district play. Since her return, Flores has been walked eight times after hitting two home runs against Del Valle High School April 11. Flores was the lead-off batter in the bottom of the fourth inning and, like Gamble, hit a pitch from Mayfield over the left field fence for her third home run of the season.
“I’ve been in a bit of a slump, swinging early and not connecting, so this felt really good,” Flores said.
The two runs would be all the Lady Tigers needed for the win.
“It’s just a matter of timing issue,” head coach Wade Womack said about Flores. “When she’s on time she can hit it a long, long ways so hopefully we can keep her going as we progress to the next round.”
The Panthers threat was thwarted when centerfielder Elianna Amato made a perfect throw to Gamble at home plate to put a runner out trying to score from second base in the top of the third inning.
“We didn’t throw a lot of complete games, so it was a little rough at the beginning of the year and we had some work to do as a staff. We worked together and our pitchers are competing now,” Shaffer said. “They’re hitting their spots with pitches and keeping hitters off balance. Our goal for the playoffs is to get the first batter out in each inning. We’re doing that and I’m a proud coach.”
Dripping Springs (27-8-1 overall), the 6A District 26 champion, will advance to the 6A D2 Regional Semifinal round and meet Eagle Pass (23-2-2 overall) at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, for game one, and noon Saturday, May 10, for game two in Jourdanton. If there is a game three needed, it will be 30 minutes after game two.
