MARSHALL, Texas-In a game that proved to be tougher than it drew up on paper, Hughes Springs withstood Troup in its Class 3A bi-district softball series opener.
The Lady Mustangs rallied from behind to edge the Lady Tigers, 3-2, Thursday at ETBU's Taylor Field.
Game 2 is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at East Texas Baptist University. A third game, if needed, will follow.
Zoe Lanier scattered eight hits and struck out eight to earn the win for Hughes Springs (27-4-1). Lanier pitched all seven innings, walked none and hit one batter.
Lindsay Davis, the freshman pitcher for Troup (16-11), gave up five hits, fanned seven and walked one.
Jacee Short grounded a two-out, go-ahead single past the bag at second, driving home Pearl Perry to stake the Mustangs to a 3-2 lead. Perry ripped a line drive stand-up double to left center to start the inning.
Hughes Springs trailed until the fifth inning, when a hit, walk and two-out error brought home a pair of Mustang runs.
Rylie Tenbrook singled to center, and a walk put two on with one out. After a popout in foul territory beyond first base, both runners tagged and advanced Into scoring position.
Carmen Searcy's ground ball to the shortstop was thrown over the Troup first baseman, allowing both runs to score and putting Searcy at second. A wild pitch advanced the runner, but she was stranded at third to end the inning.
Jessie Minnix beat out an infield single for the Tigers in the sixth, and pinch-hitter Ashley Neel tripled to right to knot the score at 2-all.
Searcy belted a stand-up double to the wall in center field, the sharply-struck ball bouncing past the center fielder, with one out in the bottom of the first. After fanning the first batter of the game, Davis struck out the next two batters after Searcy's double to strand the Mustang freshman at second.
The Tigers took the lead in the top of the first as Tiffany Lacy and Davis smacked back-to-back doubles to right-center, Lacy racing home for a 1-0 lead three batters into the game.
Grace Pippin, the No. 9 batter for the Mustangs, bunted for a hit to snap a streak of six consecutive outs by Troup. Pippin was bunted to second and wild-pitched to third, built she was stranded there to end the inning.
The Tigers managed a pair of hits in the second inning, but Hughes Springs left runners at the corners to end the inning.
Minnix led off Troup's fourth inning with a hit to center but, after a sac bunt, a strikeout and lineout to shortstop ended the threat.