QUEEN CITY, Texas-It was a battle of wills Saturday at Queen City High School.
After playing Thursday night, DeKalb and Queen City traveled to Longview Friday for the second game of their Region II-3A bi-district softball playoff series. They ended up in Beckville, where they could not finish the first inning because of stormy weather.
DeKalb senior Astonai Gray proved to be the difference Saturday, after Queen City's Brooklyn Sykes had forced a decisive third game with a four-hitter and nine strikeouts in a 7-3 Lady Bulldog win.
Gray, who pitched all 14 innings Saturday, struck out 12 en route to a 5-3 victory in the final game.
DeKalb (16-8), the third-place team in District 15-3A, advances to play Tom Bean or Mineola in the area round.
"I was up early today texting all the players to get ready because we were headed for Queen City," said DeKalb coach Ellen Eubanks. "It was tough with last night's travel in that storm, but Queen City had to do the same thing. We're sort of slow starters and not used to scoring a lot of runs. We knew we had to match their hits because they're good."
Game 3
DeKalb 5, Queen City 3
White Gray persevered in the circle, she reached base safely four times, including a double and run-scoring single in the second for the game's first run.
Kassidy Barrett walked with the bases loaded in the second to make it 2-0, the Lady Bulldogs answering in the third on consecutive hits by Kenadi Meadow, Jacie Lance and Marlee Durmon to make it 2-1.
Lance doubled in the fifth, scoring on Durmon's second hit to make it a 3-2 game.
"We hit the ball hard all three games in the series," a disappointed Queen City coach Haley Patterson said. "We battled, but just came up a little short. Sykes really pitched well for us in the first game today, and all of our starters had at least one hit today."
Queen City's only error in the decisive game turned into two runs in the sixth.
Gray reached second on an infield throwing error, and Barrett was safe at first on a fielder's choice with Gray taking third.
One out later Brittany Runnels delivered a two-run single to center for a 5-2 cushion.
"This last game was what I was expecting the whole series to be like," Eubanks said. "Queen City has a very good ball club, and we were fortunate today. I wasn't surprised Gray was able to go both games because we had a 19-inning game earlier this season and she throw 256 pitches."
Queen City went down fighting in the final inning. Lance tripled over the left fielder's head, scoring on Durmon's third hit.
The Bulldogs had 19 hits off Gray in the final two games.
Queen City 001 010 1 3 9 1
DeKalb 021 002 x 5 7 0
Brooklyn Sykes, Cori Lang (4) and Kenadi Meadow; Astonai Gray and Brittany Runnels. WP-Gray; LP-Sykes.
Game 2
Queen City 7, DeKalb 3
The game was tied 2-2 when it resumed in Queen City Saturday.
Sykes made an immediate statement, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters she faced.
The Lady Bears managed only three infield hits off Sykes, who surrendered Widemon's homer Thursday.
DeKalb also wasted no time jumping on Gray, scoring five runs on six hits in the second and third frames.
Lang singled to center igniting a four-run second, and Chey Hill walked. Alyssa Wiley's single to right loaded the bases, and Sykes put her team on top with another single to right. Lance's double to right-center one out later made it, 6-2.
Emily Maxwell singled in the third and scored after three walks forced her home.
The Bears' only runbesides Widemon's roundtrippercame in the sixth after singles by Barrett and Railey Rankin.
Queen City 241 000 0 7 10 1
DeKalb 200 001 0 3 4 1
Brooklyn Sykes and Kenadi Meadow; Kiara Williams, Astonai Gray (2) and Brittany Runnels. WP-Sykes; LP-Gray. HR-DEK., Chelsea Widemon, 1st, 1 on.