By Moses Leos III.
After suffering their first district loss to Lockhart on Friday, Hays Lady Rebel softball head coach Aaron Fuller challenged his squad to put it behind them and “take it out on [Schertz] Clemens.”
Hays accomplished that mission Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Rebel offense blasted six runs on eight hits en route to a 6-1 victory over the Lady Buffaloes. Hays improves to 2-1 in district, with a road trip to Seguin on Thursday.
It didn’t take Rebel bats long to reach Clemens’ pitcher Joanna Valiencia.
After a one-out double from senior Addie Vayas in the first, junior Haleigh Madden followed with an RBI double to score the game’s first run. Three batters later, with bases loaded, sophomore Karina Rocha ripped a two-run RBI double, giving Hays a 3-0 advantage.
Fuller said his batters were selective toward the slower delivery of Valencia.
“She was throwing us meatballs,” Rocha said. “We had our timing down.”
But the Buffaloes got on the board in the third inning. Clemens strung together three hits off senior pitcher Sarah Leal – all with two outs – to cut Hays’ lead to 3-1.
Miscues in the third allowed Clemens to score the run, according to Fuller. Regrouping and refocusing was critical.
“You have to minimize those mistakes,” Fuller said. “If you do make a mistake, you have to try to minimized the damage. We minimized our mistakes for the most part.”
Hays’ offense regained its momentum in the bottom of the fourth. Following a leadoff double from senior Maddy Shannon, Vayas was the beneficiary of a Clemens fielding error, scoring Shannon. Two batters later, Leal contributed an RBI giving Hays a 5-1 lead.
However, Hays struggled to take advantage of runners in scoring position. Eight Lady Rebels were left stranded on the basepaths.
“It’s something we’ll have to work on,” Fuller said.
The Rebel offense was backed by Leal, who gave up only four hits and two walks in seven innings. After conceding the run in the third, Leal struck out eight batters.
She did so amid the suspicion of Clemens’ bench stealing signs. It prompted Fuller to change his signs in the fourth inning, allowing Leal to thrive.
One more run cross the plate in the sixth, as Madden notched her second RBI on a sacrifice ground ball, giving Hays the 6-1 advantage.
A continued focus on offensive progress is crucial, according to Madden. The ability to consistently keep the offense flowing is key.
For Fuller, being able to bounce back was imperative.
“We got our confidence back after losing to Lockhart,” he said. “Hopefully we continue rolling in the right direction.”
