COMMERCE, Texas-Hughes Springs softball continues to put fresh ink in the school's history book.
The top-ranked Lady Mustangs built a commanding lead early, Haylee Wilson smacked a 3-run home run in the first, and the team completed a sweep of No. 7 Howe with a 9-6 victory Saturday at John Cain Field to clinch the Region II-3A championship.
It is the first regional softball title and state tournament berth in the program's history.
Hughes Springs will play in the UIL Class 3A state tournament in a semifinal game at either 3 or 6 p.m. Wednesday at Red and Charline McCombs Field on the campus of University of Texas.
The 3A championship game is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday.
"We helped Howe out quite a bit on defense; they hit some balls hard, but we misplayed some slow-rollers in the infield," Mustangs coach Tisha Thompson said. "I went out and talked to the girls and said, 'Y'all take a minute and look at the scoreboard. We're up five runs. Why are you living into their hype like they're making a comeback. They're not going to make a comeback.'
"After that we settled down in the sixth and seventh innings."
Zoe Lanier and Marisol Kennedy shared the pitching duties for the Mustangs (34-3). Lanier picked up the win with four innings of work, scattering five hits with one walk. Kennedy picked up the save, giving up six hits in three innings with five strikeouts and a walk.
Three pitches into the game, Payton Blythe was on base after taking a pitch into her shoulder. Kennedi Northam worked a 4-pitch walk for Hughes Springs, and a sacrifice moved the pair up.
Wilson smashed a 1-1 offering high and deep over the wall in left-center for a 3-run bomb for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs stranded Katelyn Roth-the lone senior for the team-at second after she worked a 2-out walk and stole second base in the second inning.
In the third Hughes Springs doubled its lead.
Northam walked to start the inning, and Shelbie Fickling singled up the middle after a wild pitch moved up Northam, who raced home on Fickling's sharply-hit grounder to center.
Wilson singled to right, and a bunt advanced Fickling and Wilson. A wild pitch on Kensley Echols' Ball 4 allowed Fickling to scamper home. Wilson scored on Abbye McKinney's groundout.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third on an error, two singles and a sacrifice fly by Hargrove. Erin Blackburn and Peyton Streetman both singled for Howe in the third.
The Mustangs followed a leadoff error by the Bulldogs with Blythe's bunt single in the fourth. A throwing error on the play sent the first run of the inning home.
Kennedy ripped a single to left for an RBI and 8-2 lead, and Kensley Echols dropped a single into shallow right-center to plate the ninth run for Hughes Springs.
The Bulldogs got one back in the bottom half, sandwiching infield hits by Payton Griffin and Kamryn Fulenchek around a walk to load the bases. A come-backer scored a run.
A trio of infield hits by Streetman, Kayla Anderson and Dani Ross plated another run for Howe in the fifth, cutting the Hughes Springs lead to 9-4.
Wilson was 2 for 3 with her 3-run homer, and Fickling was 2 for 4.
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Zoe Lanier, Marisol Kennedy (5) and Kennedi Northam. Madisyn Hargrove and Dani Ross. WP-
HR: HS-Haylee Wilson, 1st, 2 on; HOWE-Kayla Anderson, 7th, 1 on.