DRIPPING SPRINGS — The Dripping Springs High School Lady Tigers softball team battled the Lake Travis High School Cavaliers March 11 at a 6A District 26 game.
Although each team had chances to score in the early innings, they played to a scoreless tie through the third inning.
PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK
The Lady Tigers’ defense was solid. With four innings in the circle, Tatum Green, Dripping Springs’ starting pitcher, had not recorded a strikeout, but didn’t need to, as she had only given up two hits and two base on balls and kept Lake Travis scoreless.
As she started the bottom of the fourth inning, Julianna Rodriguez, the Lake Travis starting pitcher, had done her job in keeping the Lady Tigers off the board, but a lead-off walk to Green would prove costly. Green easily stole second base and stole third base after a strikeout by Taylor Crain for the first out, which brought Lauren Byrnes to the plate and the home team dugout and fans shouting in encouragement.
Byrnes laid down a bunt between the lines of the batter’s box in fair territory that took a bounce off the turf as Green scored on a perfectly executed squeeze play giving the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead.
“I just love squeezing, it’s a high-pressure situation and I’m so proud of Tatum for running and getting in, she’s really fast,” Byrnes said.
A strikeout and two runners caught stealing second base ended the inning, but the Lady Tigers finally had a lead. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Cavaliers’ lead-off batter hit a double off the left field fence. With Lake Travis runners on first and second base, head coach Wade Womack and assistant coach Paige Shaffer walked out to the circle, and like most pitchers, Green wanted to stay in the game.
“Of course, I wanted to stay, but I knew she had this and would get the job done,” she said, referring to Sadie Bradford, who came in to pitch. Bradford would prove Green to be right.
Lilian Wearden fielded a grounder at second base and recorded the sure out at first base and Womack called for an intentional walk, which left Lake Travis with the bases loaded. On a three-balls and two-strike count, Bradford got a strikeout and on another three and two count induced a grounder to Morgan Crain at third base who made a perfect throw to Kenna Riley at first base to end the inning with the bases loaded.
“I just wanted to do my job for my teammates,” Bradford later said, “They support me and I knew I had my outfield and infield behind me.”
Lake Travis was held scoreless in the top of the sixth inning. Morgan Crain made a nice catch in foul territory for the first out after Bradford walked the lead-off batter. Wearden fielded a ground ball and got the out at second base and Crain handled a ground ball at third base for the third out.
In the bottom of the frame, Emma Phillips reached third base on an error. Green would be at the plate on a squeeze play bunt for a chance at an insurance run, but the play failed when Phillips was tagged out at home and a strikeout and a pop up ended the inning.
The top of the seventh would be Lake Travis’ (11-8-1 overall; 3-1 district) final chance to tie or go ahead. The lead batter grounded to Byrnes at shortstop for the first out. Bradford got a strikeout on a three-and-two count and the next batter flied out to Taylor Crain in deep left field to preserve the win.
“We won that on our defense and in the execution when we really needed it on the run in the fourth inning,” Womack said to the team after the win. “Great job LB [Lauren Byrnes] on getting that bunt down.”
Dripping Springs (15-5-1 overall; 4-1 district) will host Westlake High School Tuesday, March 25, and Akins High School March 28, with first pitch at 7 p.m. for both games.
