Hays pitcher Sarah Leal struck out eight Lehman batters and freshman Haleigh Madden led the offensive charge as the Lady Rebels opened District 27-4A play with a 12-4 win over the rival Lady Lobos on Tuesday.
Hays head softball coach Aaron Fuller shook his head and laughed when told of Madden’s performance at the plate against the Lady Lobos. She batted 4-for-5 with a 3-RBI double, while crossing home plate three times on a cold, windy night at the Lehman softball field.
“For her to step up in her first district game against crosstown rivals and put up that kind of performance, it definitely shows that girl has ice water running through her veins,” Fuller said of Madden.
After beating the Lady Rebels for the first time last season, the Lady Lobos were doomed by costly defensive errors Tuesday as Hays built 4-0 lead after two innings.
The Lady Lobos got on the board in the fifth inning on a two-run double by third baseman Jules Hernandez to bring the score to 5-2. But Madden and the Lady Rebels answered with a huge six runs in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.
“The girls came out with high energy, high intensity,” Fuller said. “We played great defense throughout the game and never let up at the plate.”
Lehman scored twice more in the bottom of the seventh inning on back-to-back RBIs by Cydney Ervin, who singled on a shot to left field, and Kara Davis, who doubled deep into right field. But Leal held on for the complete game. Ashleigh Hildebrand pitched a little more than two innings in the loss for the Lady Lobos.
Both teams are scheduled to play again Thursday as Lehman travels to the Schulenburg Varsity Tournament and Hays (5-4, 1-0) competes in the Georgetown Tournament.
