LONGVIEW, Texas-Senior pitcher Lindsey Egger shut down Jacksonville's offense, after the Fighting Maidens took a 3-run lead early, and Texas High rallied for 10 unanswered runs to claim the playoff win.
Egger allowed just one hit after a rocky first, and Bailey Groom went deep for the final big punch during the Lady Tigers' 10-3 victory over Jacksonville in a Class 5A bi-district game Friday at Longview's Lady Lobo Field.
The Tigers (19-10) advance to play Forney in the area round next week. Forney swept Waco University in its bi-district series.
Egger settled down after surrendering all three Jacksonville (22-4-1) runs on one swing in the first inning. Egger finished with a 5-hitter, sat down seven Jacksonville batters before hitting a batter and closing out the game with six consecutive outs.
Egger struck out 12, had no walks and hit just one.
Texas High touched up Maiden pitcher Saylor Williams for 10 runs-all earned-on 14 hits. She struck out seven and walked two.
Down by three, Texas High sent 11 batters to the plate during a 6-run second inning, the rally sparked by the bottom of the Tiger lineup.
Korie Hamilton ripped a stand-up double over the Jacksonville left fielder's head with one out in the second, and Valeria Perez's soft liner cleared the shortstop. A throw to third, attempting to get Hamilton, went for an error, allowing Hamilton to race home and Perez to scoot around to third.
Vanessa Perez, the No. 9 batter, doubled to left, scoring Valeria Perez, and Ashanti Northcross had her second straight bunt single. A walk loaded the bases, and Lauren Allred laced a 2-run single to left to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.
Kaitlyn Cross followed with a 2-RBI hit to make it 6-3. Alex Reed, batting for the second time in the inning, legged out an infield single, but the Maidens stranded two to end the big inning for THS.
After Kylie McCown and Jacey Hicks singled on the first each saw of their at-bats to start the game, Jordyn Whitaker worked an 8-pitch plate appearance, and the junior smashed a 3-run home run over the wall in left center field to stake Jacksonville to a 3-0 lead.
Emily Moreira doubled to start the game with four consecutive hits for the Maidens, but Egger struck out the next three batters to end the inning. Egger extended her strikeout streak to five straight, but a flyout to right ended the streak and the top of the second inning.
Texas High added to its lead in the third. Valeria Perez bunted for a leadoff single, and Groom and Allred had back-to-back 2-out, RBI hits to make it 8-3 Tigers.
Vanessa Perez bunted for a hit in the fifth, and Groom smacked her 2-run shot over the wall in left-center to extend THS' lead to 10-3. Allred followed with a triple into the left field corner but was left there when the inning ended.
Groom was 2 for 3 with her home run and 3 RBI, Allred was 3 for 3 with a triple and 3 RBI, and Northcross, Valeria and Vanessa Perez added a pair of hits each.
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Saylor Williams and Kylie McCown. Lindsey Egger and Kylee Spriggs. WP-
HR: JAX-Jordyn Whitaker, 1st, 2 on. THS-Bailey Groom, 5th, 1 on.