For the 17th consecutive season, the Brownwood Lady Lions softball program is headed to the postseason.
On the strength of four hits – a pair of two-run home runs, a triple and a double – and six RBIs from Annie-Klein Allgood, the Lady Lions completed a District 6-4A sweep of the Gatesville Lady Hornets, 12-6, in Friday night’s home finale.
“I’m just trying to help my teammates as much as I can in the circle and at the plate,” Allgood said in a postgame radio interview with KBWD. “I was just seeing a pitch and going with it, it didn’t matter where it was. I wasn’t trying to do too much, I was just trying to help my teammates out and listen to my coaches because I’d been struggling. I was just trying to see it as best I could and send it there.”
Knotted at 4 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lady Lions struck for six runs and were able to coast to the finish. Brownwood reeled off eight runs in a row overall before Gatesville tacked on two more in the top of the seventh, but left three base runners stranded.
After Gatesville drew even in the top of the fourth, the Lady Lions sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom half. Hailey Snell led off with a single followed by a double to right-center field by Mackenzie Welch. With one out, Chesney Covey ripped an RBI single through the right side ahead of a two-RBI single to center field by Mia Lopez. Allgood was next up with an RBI triple ahead of an RBI single by Auzzlyn Benedict, a walk by Cecilia Rodriguez and an RBI base hit from Snell.
“That was a good job by the bottom of the lineup getting on base for the top, and the top of the lineup took full advantage of having base runners on and getting them in, which is exactly what we want,” said Lady Lions head coach Jessica Lynn. “We did a great job throughout the lineup tonight. They looked a lot more confident at the plate and it showed.”
The Lady Lions tallied the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning as Covey led off with a walk and scored on a two-run smash over the right field wall by Allgood.
Gatesville pulled even at 2 in the top of the second as Cera Touchet singled and scored on an errant throw to third base following a stolen base. Later in the frame, Kinsey Gardner, who walked, came home on a wild pitch.
The Lady Hornets then seized a 3-2 lead in the third as Lauren Stuard singled to start the frame and scored on a bloop RBI single by Emma Blakely.
Brownwood reclaimed a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third as Lopez tripled with one out ahead of Allgood’s two-run shot to left-center field.
A two-out RBI single by Stuard in the top of the fourth plated Deygan Hilliker, who reached on a fielder’s choice, which allowed Gatesville to even the score at 4.
Along with Allgood’s four hits, Covey contributed three, Lopez and Snell both added two and Welch and Benedict chipped in one apiece as Brownwood finished with 13 against Gatesville pitchers Hilliker and Gardner.
Friday’s victory also moved the Lady Lions (7-13-1, 3-4) into third place in the district standings, a half-game ahead of Stephenville (9-14, 2-4) – which suffered a 15-4 loss to second-place Lampasas (13-11, 4-3) Friday night. Brownwood is off Tuesday and wraps up the regular season at Stephenville next Friday.
