by MOSES LEOS III
In a game as hot as the weather it was played in, the Hays High Lady Rebels and Lucas Lovejoy Lady Leopards squared off in a scoring duel for the ages.
Both teams combined for 19 runs on 32 hits in the 4A state championship game on Saturday afternoon in Austin. The Hays Lady Rebels ultimately prevailed when it mattered. A three-run seventh inning allowed Hays to defeat Lovejoy 11-8 and claim the 2013 4A Softball State Championship.
The first inning set the tone for a wild back-and-forth roller coaster of a state title game.
Hays began much in the same way they did in the state semifinal game against Aledo on Friday. The Lady Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 lead, due in part to the Lady Rebel order, stringing together four straight hits, scoring three runs with two outs in the top of the first. Right fielder Brayden Pinckard highlighted the inning with a two-run RBI double to left field.
“I don’t have any pressure on me when I go up [to the plate],” Pinckard said. “I just focus on the pitch.”
Lovejoy rallied in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits as well, tying the game at 3-3.
From there, both teams hit the ground running. After a scoreless second inning, both teams notched a run in the third. Hays regained the lead in the fourth, with two on and two outs, as second baseman Haleigh Madden delivered two of her three RBI’s on the day with a triple to the right centerfield gap, giving Hays a 6-4 lead.
Lovejoy countered right back by loading the bases in the fourth with no outs.
However, heat began to take a toll on players and officials. Home plate umpire Damon Thompson fell ill in the bottom half of the fourth inning and was relieved from the game. Hays and Lovejoy players went into their locker rooms for a ten-minute period, as the UIL brought in an emergency medical official.
From the players’ perspective, pitching was most affected by the 90-degree on-field temperatures.
“This was the first game I have played in the heat. Even in practice, it is not this hot. It changed the game,” said Hays pitcher Sarah Leal, who pitched all seven innings, striking out three in the game. “However, it was an uncontrollable factor that you have to deal with.”
When play resumed, Lady Leopard pitcher Brittany Lewis scored two runs on a RBI single to re-tie the game at 6-6; Lovejoy scored another run later in the fourth, taking a 7-6 lead.
Hays eventually exited the inning, but Leal struggled to keep down the torrid bats of the Lovejoy offense. Despite her struggles, the Lady Rebel defense kept Lovejoy from putting more runs on the board with key plays, such as center fielder Hannah Ramsey robbing an extra base hit to record the final out.
“We kept telling ourselves that we have been waiting for this moment all year. We have worked so hard; we did not want to let it go,” Vayas said. “We just kept playing solid defense.”
The defense also encouraged their ace pitcher.
“When they changed umpires, when we went into the locker room, I told [Sarah] to relax, that she was doing fine,” Pinckard said. “I just told her to relax.”
On the opposite side, Lovejoy starter Lewis was relieved by centerfielder Danielle Brochu in the fifth inning due to exhaustion. Lewis went five innings with three strikeouts.
“She looked very tired,” Pinckard said. “[Hays head coach Aaron Fuller] told us to keep hitting off of her.”
Hays then pounced on the new pitcher.
The Lady Rebels scored two more runs in the fifth inning, as they loaded the bases for Maddy Shannon, who delivered a two-run RBI single to shallow left field. One batter later, Vayas brought in a run on a sacrifice fly for Hays to regain the lead at 8-7.
[Brochu] was pitching much like Aledo’s [Lauren Craine],” Shannon said. “She was throwing outside, so we just kept keying on that.”
Lovejoy rallied right back, scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to retie the game at 8-8.
But the bottom of the sixth inning defines the new 4A state champs.
Lovejoy loaded the bases with two outs, with Katie Curry batting. Curry, up until the sixth, had gone 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk.
Faced with tremendous pressure, Leal dug deep, striking out Curry on five pitches to exit the inning with no damage done.
“I will admit, I came out a little shaky,” Leal said. “With the nerves and the adrenalin going, you have to tell yourself to keep calm in the clutch. That’s what I did.”
Equally proud of the big strikeout from Leal was Fuller.
“We came in not knowing much about Lovejoy. We had to play it by ear, trying to find a way to get hitters out,” Fuller said. “However, Sarah’s resiliency, even in the conditions, with the heat and the pressure, did not faze her. She kept doing what she needed to. The fact she kept pounding the strike zone is what kept us in the game.”
The momentum gained on Leal’s strikeout propelled Hays into the seventh.
After the first two Lady Rebel batters recorded outs, Vayas went to the plate and legged out a single, eventually moving to second on a throwing error by Lovejoy.
Hays took advantage of the mistake, as Ramsey, who was eventually named the Championship Game Most Valuable Player, slapped an RBI double to give Hays a 9-8 lead. First baseman Clarissa Gonzalez, who went 4-for-4 with a walk, brought in her only RBI on a single. Vayas capped off the two-out rally with another RBI single, placing Hays ahead 11-8.
The Lady Rebel offense’s ability to battle back, especially with two outs, was key to the championship. Hays scored nine of their 11 runs on two-out rallies. Fuller said he believed the 2013 playoff run was the foundation for Hays’ success.
“Our playoff run is what prepared us for this game; our tough game against Dripping Springs, the tough series with Moody and the back and forth with Leander,” Fuller said. “For the last month, we have been battling. No matter what the circumstance was, when we have the bat in our hands, we have the chance to make something happen.”
Lovejoy attempted one final rally, but left fielder Traci Green squeezed the final out of the game, giving Hays a dramatic finish to a remarkable year.
Ramsey, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI, was shocked after the game to receive the Championship MVP.
“It is a great honor,” Ramsey said. “I honestly thought it was going to go to Sarah [Leal]. She played amazing; she pitched incredibly well. I was a little surprised.”
It could be said the MVP honors could go to the Lady Rebel seniors. Their leadership, especially in the title game, paved the way for the first state championship in 44 years at Hays High School.
“As seniors, we are definitely the leaders on this team. That showed today,” Pinckard said. “Getting the hits [in the seventh inning] made things much more perfect.”
The seniors were equally impressed with the efforts of their underclassmen.
“I’m so proud of them,” Gonzalez said. “They work just as hard as we do; they put in the same amount as we do and just as hard. We all work hard together, both during practice and in the game.”
In addition, being able to leave high school on the highest of highs resonates with the seniors.
“It means the world to me, to graduate and leave on such a high note,” Gonzalez said. “It is the best thing that could have happened.”
Proudest of all was Fuller, who is only in his second year of coaching at Hays.
“I told my team all week that we are happy that we are here, but there was still work to be done,” Fuller said. “When Traci squeezed the [fly ball] in the seventh inning, that was satisfying. I cannot say how happy I am and how proud I am of these kids. They worked hard to get to this point. They deserve every bit of this [championship].”
As they shed tears of joy and dispensed hugs, the Lady Rebels looked back at a truly remarkable season. They finished the year with a 31-10 record, hoisting the state title plaque high for all to see.
Such joy is something Leal looks forward to next season, when the Lady Rebels defend their championship.
“We are going to be back next year,” Leal said. “We are going to stay as a team. We want to play on this field next season.”
