STEPHENVILLE – In a game that featured 31 runs, 31 hits, a dozen errors and 18 combined stranded base runners, the Brownwood Lady Lions were denied in their quest to secure the No. 2 postseason seed from District 6-4A for the UIL Class 4A playoffs, falling to the Glen Rose Lady Tigers, 21-10, here Monday night.
With the loss, District 6-4A third seed Brownwood (10-13-1) will face District 5-4A runner-up Levelland (24-7) in a best-of-three Region I-4A bi-district playoff series at Abilene Cooper High School. Game 1 is slated for 5 p.m. Thursday with Games 2 and 3, if needed, to follow at 5 p.m. Friday.
Against Glen Rose (15-19) Monday night, Brownwood yielded 17 runs over the final four innings just when it seemed the Lady Lions had secured the momentum.
Brownwood scored three runs in the bottom of the third to grab a 5-4 edge, only to witness Glen Rose chalk up seven runs with two outs in the top of the fourth. Trailing 11-5, the Lady Lions loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, and had the first two batters reach in the fifth only to push one run across the plate over the two-inning span.
Glen Rose’s fourth inning featured a two-out, two-RBI single by Marki Sandlin followed by a Brownwood error, a two-RBI double from Madeleine Kirley, and a three-run home run from Grace Booth.
Meanwhile, Brownwood’s fourth inning saw Jakayla Peek lead off with a double, then Peyton Pena and Jeniffer Romero reached on consecutive bunt singles. Mia Lopez was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded, driving in a run to close the gap to 11-6. But with the sacks still full and no outs, Chloe Walls was fanned by Glen Rose pitcher Shannon Wright, Kyleigh Caperton hit a soft line drive to first base, and Cecilia Rodriguez’s fly ball was caught at the base of the center wall field.
The Lady Lions retired Glen Rose in order in the top of the fifth and again had a chance to shave the deficit as Tynlea Wilson led off with a single and Mackenzie Welch reached a bunt the Glen Rose defense couldn’t handle. But Peek struck out and Pena popped out to the catcher ahead of a Romero single. With the bases loaded and two down, Lopez was retired on strikes as another rally was foiled.
Glen Rose’s lead reached 15-6 in the sixth before the Lady Lions answered with their final four runs. Caperton and Rodriguez reached on consecutive Glen Rose miscues ahead of a two-RBI single from Wilson. Welch later reached on an error that allowed Mykaela Mendoza, running for Wilson, to score. Brownwood’s last run in the bottom of the sixth was the result of an RBI ground out by Peek.
The Lady Tigers, however, tacked on six additional runs in the seventh inning.
Trailing 1-0 after half-an-inning, the Lady Lions grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first. Romero led off with a single and Lopez reached on a bunt that the Lady Tigers threw away at first base. Walls followed with an RBI sac fly to plate Romero, and Lopez scored the go-ahead run when Rodriguez reached on a two-out Glen Rose error.
Glen Rose regained a 4-2 edge in the top of the second, but the Lady Lions answered with three runs of their own in the third. Romero again led off with a single and scored on an RBI double from Walls. Caperton then singled home Walls to even the score, and Rodriguez’s RBI single down the left field line brought home Caperton for a 5-4 Brownwood lead.
