Caldwell Edges Lady Leps
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Avery Marshall fires a throw to first on a Caldwell bunt attempt in the 8th inning Monday. Photos by Jeff Wick -
La Grange’s Haylie Cooper catches a ball in the outfield Monday as her sister Haedyn backs up in the play. -
La Grange pitcher Alyssa Liccioni kept Caldwell off the scoreboard for seven innings Monday.
La Grange’s 10-Game Win Streak Snapped
The surging La Grange softball team had their 10game win-streak snapped Monday on a 2-0 extra-inning loss to Caldwell at home.
The teams had entered the game tied for first place in district, but now Caldwell holds a one-game lead over the Lady Leps, who fell to 3-1 in district play and 11-10 overall.
“They are a good team,” La Grange head coach Robert Young said of Caldwell. “Our girls played a great game. We pitched well, we just couldn’t manufacture a run when we needed to.”
Caldwell’s Allie Fletcher hurled an eight-inning nohitter with 15 strikeouts. La Grange’s lone baserunner came on a first inning walk by Haylie Cooper.
“She got ahead and had a good curveball and we were reaching for it instead of letting it come to us and taking it the other way,” Young said. “We just have to be able to make better adjustments.”
La Grange pitcher Alyssa Liccioni matched Fletcher’s pitching brilliance for the first seven innings, keeping the Lady Hornets off the scoreboard.
“She did very, very well tonight,” Young said of Liccioni. “She moved the ball, spotted it when she needed to and got in a groove.”
“Caldwell definitely has good batters, one through nine,” Liccioni said. “I knew I had to hit my spots and be consistent.”
Liccioni struck out eight. But in the top of the eighth, Caldwell was able to get some bunts down to push across apair of runs to get the win.
The loss takes little away from what has been a dramatic turnaround this season for the Lady Leps. At one point the team was 1-10 overall before rattling off ten consecutive victories.
“We really just had to come together as a team and learn to work together,” Liccioni said.
“I sat them down and we had a little meeting,” Young said after that slow start. “I told the girls some facts about being a good teammate and about being a good member of the workforce in the real world. You have to understand your role. The girls have all settled in and are doing a good job of doing their job – no matter what it is. We’ve got the pieces to the puzzle.”
The Lady Leps were set to return to action Thursday in Giddings.
District 22-4A Softball Caldwell 4-0 La Grange 3-1 Smithville 2-2 Giddings 2-2 Taylor 1-3 Manor NT 0-4