by JOSHUA YOUNG
After a successful weekend in Floresville bringing home second place, the Lady Lobos softball team welcomed Boerne Champion to Lehman on Tuesday night for their second district match. The Lady Lobos were looking to even their district record after an opening loss to Hays last Tuesday. Behind the strength of one big inning and strong pitching, the Lady Chargers took home a win, 6-3.
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Champion broke through in the second with a run, then brought in four runs on a pair of two-run singles in the third inning. The Lady Lobos loaded the bases in their half, but were only able to get one run home on a walk to bring the score to 5-1.
In the fifth, Lehman sophomore shortstop Aleza Ruiz turned a double play in the top half of the inning, then followed that up with a leadoff triple and scored on a wild pitch. The Lady Chargers would add one more run in the top of the seventh on an inside-the-park homerun to gain a 6-2 advantage. However, the Lady Lobos had one more rally in their half as senior Jules Hernandez smashed an RBI triple to right centerfield. That momentum was short-lived and Champion was able to finish off the next hitter and escape with a 6-3 victory.
Lehman head coach Bill Holmes acknowledged his team let a close one slip away, and recognized a few aspects of the game that he feels his young team can focus on.
“We just need to learn to be more aggressive at the plate, swing at good pitches, and take the ball to right field more,” said Coach Holmes after watching his team take several called strikes and not advance runners in critical situations.
The Lady Lobos make the drive to Alamo Heights on Friday as they seek their first district win and confidence heading into a difficult string of games over Spring Break.
