STEPHENVILLE – Clinging to a one-run lead in the final inning, the Brownwood Lady Lions struck for 11 runs in the top of the seventh en route to a 19-11 victory over the Stephenville Honeybees Friday night, which secured the third playoff seed from District 6-4A for the maroon and white.
“We told them to go out there confidently and be aggressive from the very beginning and take advantage of their pitching and I thought we did a good job of that tonight,” said Lady Lions head coach Jessica Lynn.
The Lady Lions’ 18-hit attack featured six from Chesney Covey, who added five RBIs, while Auzzlyn Benedict also knocked in five runs and recorded two hits. Annie-Klein Allgood chalked up three hits and three RBIs, Mia Lopez finished with two hits and three RBIs, Chelsey Covey contributed two hits and a pair of RBIs, and Hailey Snell added two hits and one RBI.
“Reading the ball’s not easy at all, and every time you hit a ball they’re going to move to that spot, wherever you hit it last time, so you just have to hit wherever they’re not, and it’s really not easy at all,” Chesney Covey said in a postgame interview with KBWD radio.
Brownwood (8-13-1, 4-4) saw a five-run lead shrink to one in the bottom of the sixth inning, but unleashed an offensive flourish on Stephenville (9-16, 2-6) in its final trip to the plate.
Leading 8-7 as the seventh inning began, Dakota Simpson laid down a bunt and reached on an error followed by a single from Chesney Covey. Lopez then singled home Simpson to boost the lead to 9-7 while Allgood followed with a base hit. An RBI sacrifice fly by Benedict plated Chesney Covey with the 10th run ahead of a walk by Cecilia Rodriguez, one of eight free passes drawn by the Lady Lions. Chelsey Covey then delivered a two-RBI single to drive in Lopez and Tevan Stovall, running for Allgood, to boost the lead to 12-7. Snell followed with an RBI single that plated Rodriguez to extend the lead to 13-7.
With two outs in the frame, Simpson walked to load the bases ahead of a three-RBI double from Chesney Covey which knocked in Simpson, Snell, and Chelsey Covey to pad the cushion to 16-7. Lopez then singled home Chesney Covey to stretch the advantage to double figures, 17-7, while Allgood drove home Lopez with a double, and Benedict singled home Stovall to cap the Brownwood scoring.
Stephenville’s first four batters scored in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a three-run home run by Emma Giddings, before the final Honeybee rally was quashed.
Brownwood took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as an RBI ground out from Benedict plated Lopez, who reached on an error.
Trailing 2-1 in the top of the third inning, the Lady Lions reeled off the next six runs to open a 7-2 edge. Brownwood scored twice in the second as Allgood singled home Simpson, who singled, and another RBI ground out from Benedict brought home Chesney Covey, who also singled.
Up 3-2 to start the fourth, the Lady Lions tacked on four more runs as Chesney Covey singled home Snell, who led off with a base hit; Lopez’s RBI fielder’s choice knocked in Simpson, who walked; Allgood’s RBI sac fly scored Chesney Covey; and Benedixt singled home Lopez.
The eighth run for the Lady Lions crossed the plate in the fifth inning as Chesney Covey singled home Chelsey Covey, who led off by reaching on an error.
Brownwood will face District 5-4A second seed Vernon (17-7-1) in the bi-district round of the playoffs next weekend. A best-of-three series is slated for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, if needed, with all games in Graham.