Lady Mules vs. Kermit (5-8&9-2015)

Lady Mules vs. Kermit (5-8&9-2015)

The Lady Mules lost the Area round of the Texas State High School Softball Playoffs in back-to-back games to the Kermit Yellow Jackets. The extended layoff for the Lady Mules appeared to take some of the edge off of their game. 

The Lady Mules lost Friday’s game 8-5 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Saturday morning the Lady Mules tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning and kept the game close until the top of the sixth inning. The Jackets rallied for six runs in the top of the sixth inning to defeat the Lady Mules 8-2.

Adrianna Loya provided both offense and defense for the Lady Mules. She went three for four at the plate Friday with a pair of doubles, a single, an RBI and scored a run. She also tagged a runner out at the plate and caught a pop fly in foul territory. Saturday morning A. Loya threw out two runners and tagged out three runners at home.

Mireya Ruvalcaba started the game with a lead-off walk. She took the count full and stayed alive by fouling off a pitch. The next pitch was high and wide of the plate so Ruvalcaba took first base.

Adrianna Loya followed with a stand-up double that she blasted over third base and into the corner. Ruvalcaba was off and running on the pitch and did not stop until she crossed the plate for the first run of the game. 

Miranda De Bruin slammed a one-out single to left centerfield to plate Loya. Brianna Barron took De Bruin’s place at first as a courtesy runner. Sasha Esparza lined a single up the middle and moved Barron to second base. 

Gabi Chavez bunted back to the pitcher to sacrifice Barron to third base. The pitcher threw to first and Barron did not slow down and scampered home for the Lady Mules third run of the inning.

Kermit scored one run in the first inning and tied the game with two more runs in the second inning.

The Lady Mules snapped the tie in the top of the fourth inning. Reagan Reynolds lined her first of two doubles off the right field fence. She went to third a sacrifice bunt by Crystal Flores and scored on a sacrifice by Ruvalcaba. 

The Lady Mules tacked on their final run of the day on a two-out single to left field by Chavez. Leti Loya was hit by a pitch to move Chavez to second. Reynolds blasted her second double of the day to the fence in left field to score Chavez. 

An error in the sixth inning allowed the Jackets to cut the Lady Mule lead to 5-4. But the bottom of the seventh did in the Lady Mules. A lead-off double, an error, a walk and a homerun over the centerfield fence gave Kermit the win. 

Saturday Kermit scored first on back-to-back base hits. 

It took Ruvalcaba six pitches before she earned a lead-off walk. She stole second base and scampered to third base on a passed ball. De Bruin scored Ruvalcaba with a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher.

The Lady Mules broke the tie to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brittany Mendoza received a one-out walk. She went to second on a ground ball by Reynolds. L. Loya walked to load the bases and Flores walked to force home Mendoza. The Lady Mules struck out to end the inning with the bases loaded.  

      

Kermit matched the Lady Mules in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out double followed by a triple. The runner that hit the triple attempted to stretch it to an in-the-park homerun. L. Loya chased down the ball off the fence and threw to Flores at second base. Flores fired a strike to A. Loya guarding home plate for the tag to end the inning.

Saturday morning seemed as if a ticking bomb was waiting to explode. It finally exploded in favor of the Jackets in the top of the sixth inning when Kermit plated six runs. That proved to be an insurmountable lead for the Lady Mules. 

The Lady Mules will only graduate three seniors in 2015 so will have many returning members of their team for next season.