Ladies win 2, prepare for 6 games this weekend
The Lady Lion softball team got back on track last week with a pair of wins as they prepare for the third and final tournament this week before the start of district competition on March 19.
The team will travel to Snyder starting Thursday (today) for a three-day tournament, opening with a 5:00 p.m. bout against Fort Stockton, immediately followed by a 7:00 p.m. game against Tahoka.
The local girls will be back in action at 1:00 p.m. on Friday against Seminole., with a 5:00 p.m. game against Hermleigh.
Saturday’s schedule includes bouts at 11:00 a.m. with the Snyder JV and 5:00 p.m. with Kermit.
The Lady Lions will be open next week for spring break, returning to the diamond on Tuesday, March 19 in Baird to start District 7-2A action.
Last Week’s Games
Albany traveled to Bangs on Feb. 26, bringing back a 16-6 victory. Then the girls handed the visiting Cooper JV an 8-6 loss last Friday.
“It was good to win a couple of games this week after that brutal Stephenville tournament,” coach Jimmy Fuentes said. “I thought we improved in making adjustments at the plate and also hit the ball well.”
The coach added that there are areas to be worked on.
“There are still things we need to correct on defense, but overall we showed improvement,” he said. “We are concentrating on continuing to improve.”
The Lady Lions trailed 4-2 after three innings in Bangs last week, but an explosive eight-run fourth inning, followed by six runs in the sixth, sealed the win.
Ana Balliew pitched the game for Albany, giving up six runs on 13 hits and two walks. She had two strikeouts.
LADY LIONS vs BAngs
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 R/H/E
ALBANY 1 0 1 8 0 6 16/15/2
Bangs 0 1 3 1 0 1 6/13/1
INDIVIDUAL STATS
A Moon 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
T Fuentes 1 sgl, 1 tpl, 4 RBIs, 2 runs
A Garcia 2 runs
C Holson 2 sgls, 1 dbl, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
A Balliew 2 dbls, 3 RBIs, 1 run
K Browning 3 sgls, 2 RBIs, 4 runs
P Martin 1 run
B Belcher 1 sgl, 1 RBI
J Morales 2 sgls, 1 run
M Garcia 1 sgl, 1 run
A big inning again made the difference in the 8-6 win over Cooper’s JV on Friday.
The Lady Lions trailed 4-3 through the top of the fifth, but five runs in the bottom of the frame pushed Albany ahead for good.
Caitlyn Holson pitched the first four innings, allowing four runs on two hits and three walks. She had three strikeouts.
Balliew came in for the final three innings, giving up one hit for two runs. She struck out one batter and didn’t allow a walk.
LADY LIONS vs Cooper
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 2 0 1 0 5 0 x 8/11/7
Cooper 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 6/3/1
INDIVIDUAL STATS
A Moon 1 sgl, 2 tpls, 1 RBI, 3 runs
A Garcia 2 sgls, 1 RBI
C Holson 2 sgls, 2 RBIs, 1 run
A Balliew 1 dbl, 1 tpl, 2 RBIs, 1 run
K Browning 1 run
B Belcher 1 sgl, 1 tpl, 2 RBIs, 1 run
S Hobbs 1 run
JV Contest
Albany also put a JV on the field against the Cooper JV2, with the girls losing 7-6 after carrying a three-run lead into the end of the game.
“Errors wound up costing us,” said Fuentes. “I tell our young players that I will be patient with them learning to play at the high school level, but not with them failing to make routine plays. We put ourselves in a bind we couldn’t overcome.”
