By Josh Young.
An unbelievable ending to a tense pitching duel proved historic for the Lehman Lady Lobo softball team.
With a playoff berth on the line, the Lady Lobos defeated the Schertz Clemens Lady Buffaloes 4-3 Tuesday at the Lobo Softball Field. By virtue of the win, Lehman clinches their first ever playoff berth in program history. The Lady Lobos now await their final playoff seeding and an opponent, which they should know by the end of the week.
Lehman struck the initial blow in the bottom half of the first inning when Samantha Villegas doubled home sophomore Clarissa Rayos for a 1-0 lead. Clemens responded with a double to bring in a run and capitalized on a couple of errors by the Lady Lobos in the field to take a 3-1 advantage.
With the Lady Lobos still trailing, the top of the order came through again in the fifth inning as Rayos and senior Alexis Trotter reached base and eventually scored on a wild pitch to even the score. Several key plays kept the game tied including a spectacular diving play by Trotter to rob a Clemens batter of a hit.
Entering the bottom of the seventh, the outcome was still in question. And again, the top of the Lehman order was up to bat. Following a sharp single off the pitcher and a sacrifice bunt, Trotter stood on third base with only one out - 60 feet from history.
With the power hitter Villegas coming to the plate, the Lady Lobos attempted a surprise bunt. As the pitcher fielded the ball cleanly, Trotter broke to the plate, then scrambled back to third. To the surprise of her teammates, the Clemens pitcher wheeled to fire to first base and get one out. The speedy Trotter took advantage of the situation and dashed to the plate for the winning run, securing the first ever playoff berth for the Lehman softball program.
After the game, senior Alexis Trotter described the rollercoaster of emotions she experienced throughout this game, and the thrill of being able to score the run that put Lehman into the playoffs.
“We all wanted this win and we put everything we had into the game tonight. Playoffs have been a goal of mine since freshman year and I went through every emotion possible in that last inning: excitement, fear, nervousness, and finally happiness.”
At top: Lehman senior Alexis Trotter (right) and sophomore Kynslee Noriega (left) embrace after Trotter scored the game winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday. Lehman, which beat Clemens 4-3, claims their first-ever playoff berth in program history. (Photo by Rafael Marquez)
