HUGHES SPRINGS, Texas-If you only saw the final two innings, you saw most of the action in Texas High's playoff with Mount Pleasant for seeding in the postseason.
THS (24-5) trailed 2-0 going to the top of the sixth, but tied the score on a two-run homer by Kaitlyn Cross, and then exploded for five runs in the seventh to beat Mount Pleasant, 7-5. MP rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the potential tying run at the plate when the game ended.
The win sends 14th-ranked Texas High into bi-district play for a best-of-three series with North Forney. The first game is set for Texarkana at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with the second game in Forney on Friday at 7 p.m. If a third game is necessary it will be played at Northeast Texas Community College on Saturday at noon.
No. 21 Mount Pleasant (23-8) will represent District 16-5A as the runner-up and play Mesquite Poteet in bi-district later this week.
"Those first few innings it was three up and three down for the most part; they finally got a lead on us after we made a couple of mental errors," THS coach Robbie Hatfield said. "You can't make those kind of mistakes, but the girls did one heckuva job coming back.
"We knew Mount Pleasant wasn't just going to give up. Just like our girls, we got some key hits in the seventh and they got some key hits. It was a good ball game sure was."
Sophomore Mabry Smith took a no-hitter into the fourth inning when Jordan Dickerson singled to left with nobody out. Bree Smallwood walked one out later, and Pinky Green followed with a ground ball to shortstop. The ball was fielded cleanly, but a little hesitation on the throw allowed Dickerson to score.
Mount Pleasant made it 2-0 in the fifth after a one-out double to right by Ashleigh Cheek. She moved up on a wild pitch, tagging and scoring on a shallow fly to the outfield.
THS got its first batter on in the sixth when Ashley Wyrick walked on a 3-1 offering by losing pitcher Averie Ayres. She was forced at second on Braley Turner's grounder. One out later Cross crushed an 0-1 offering over the centerfield fence.
Back-to-back infield hits by Kylee Spriggs and Madison Prince ignited the Lady Tigers' big seventh. Both runners moved up on Bailey Groom's sacrifice bunt, and Wyrick delivered a single to right that made it 3-2, and put runners at the corners. Turner walked to load the bases, and Courtnee Cheek smashed the next pitch off the glove of the center fielder for a two-run double.
Cross hammered her third hit of the game, a double to left-center that made it 7-2.
Smith, who had allowed only two hits and struck out 10 in the first six innings, yielded her fourth free pass of the game to start the bottom of the seventh. She struck out the next batter, giving up a run-scoring double to Ayres three pitches later. Fortunately for THS, Ayres was caught in a run-down between second and third, but not before seven different defensive players had handled the ball.
Cheek lined a double down the left-field line, and Blakely Cheek walked on a 3-2 pitch. Both Cheeks scored on Dickerson's double off the left field wall to make it 7-5. Smith recorded her 12th strikeout to end the game.
Wyrick and Spriggs had two hits each for THS, while Cheek and Dickerson had four of MP's five hits.
Texas High 000 002 5 - 7 10 0
Mount Pleasant 000 110 3 - 5 5 0
Mabry Smith and Kylee Spriggs. Averie Ayres and Brooke Smallwood. WP-Smith. LP-Ayres. HR: THS-Kaitlyn Cross, 6th, 1 on.