Surviving a pair of nail biters in the semifinals and championship, the Caddo Lady Bruins claimed the Calera Invitational fastpitch softball title last week.
The Lady Bruins blasted their way through the first part of the tournament schedule, taking down Coalgate (12-3), Colbert (15-3) and Tishomingo (14-1).
Action got a lot more interesting in the semifinals as Caddo survived Kiowa, 6-5, and then squeezed past Tushka, 2-1, in a tense finale to improve their record to 7-0 on the young season.
In the tournament opener, Caddo held a slim 4-3 lead after the top of the second inning before erupting for eight unanswered runs that eventually led the way to a run rule.
The Lady Bruins finished with nine hits and only two for extra bases on doubles from Brylee Daniel and Kayden Prince, but took full advantage of a whopping nine Coalgate defensive errors. Paxtyn Pearson notched the pitching victory with three shutout frames of scoreless relief.
Caddo wasted little time in getting things rolling against Bryan County adversary Colbert, exploding out of the gate for 10 first inning runs and never looked back from there. They spread the wealth around with seven hits in the run rule win topped by a Gage Vaughn triple and Braylee Malone double.
Raleigh Greenwood and Peyton Worsham were the pitching benefactors as they teamed up to twirl a three-hitter as two of Colbert’s hits came from Ashtyn James.
Facing Tishomingo, the Lady Bruins yielded an early 1-0 advantage before reeling off 14 straight runs to end it on the run rule. Caddo scored four in each of the first two frames and an additional six in the third stanza.
Audrey Hughes was the offensive catalyst with three hits, including a pair of home runs, as well as driving in five. Vaughn chipped in two hits and three RBI as well. Pearson went the distance in the pitching circle, allowing the one run on two hits.
The Lady Bruins were playing from behind throughout the semifinal with Kiowa, spotting the Cowgirls a 3-0 in the top of the first inning. Caddo responded with single runs in the first, third and fourth frames and trailed 5-3 going to the bottom of the fifth and final inning when they rallied to victory.
Prince and Daniel kickstarted the rally with singles and a two-out single from Hughes kept it going. Kiersyn Powell knotted the score with a line single to center ahead of Ryan Uber’s walkoff hit to right that plated Hughes.
Pearson earned the pitching triumph with four solid frames of relief, allowing one earned run while scattering four hits and striking out a pair.
The finale was a tight one throughout, keyed by a spectacular pitching effort from Daniel, who worked all seven innings, scattering five hits as well as five strikeouts and no walks.
Tushka plated a run in the first frame but was silenced from there before the Lady Bruins rallied for what proved to be the decisive two runs in the fifth inning. An error allowed Powell to reach to open the frame and Uber followed with a pivotal double.
Harlee Taylor reached on an infield pop up to load the bases before Prince and Daniel drove in the runs with ground balls. Powell added a triple in the contest with Malone adding a double.
