Tigerettes fall in district tiebreaker

HENRIETTA – One for the ages.

Jacksboro and Holliday’s softball teams had locked into two good games in their District 7-3A regular season encounters. There was little doubt the third meeting of the year, to decide playoff seeding in the loop, would be an epic encounter.

It was – needing extra innings to decide the issue.

Holliday took advantage of an error to break a ninth-inning tie and held off a Tigerette rally in the bottom of the frame to post a 7-6 win and take the top seed in District 7-3A.

Jacksboro, the second seed out of the district, faced Comanche, the third seed out of 8-3A, in a bi-district series (see stories in sports).

Both teams averaged better than a hit an inning in this slugfest played out before a standing room only crowd here. The Tigerettes drew first blood in the third after stranding a pair in the second inning. Avery Bennett singled with Kylie Tullous picking up a one-out walk. The pair was brought home as Alex Holman took Addison Lindemann’s first pitch over the wall for a 3-0 lead.

As expected with a screaming south wind, Holliday came back in their next at-bat with a three homer, five run fourth inning. Destiny Valles cut the deficit in half with a leadoff homer to open the Tigerette fourth.

Singles by McKenna McAnear and Bennett kept the rally alive but a flout and force out at third prevented further damage.

Jacksboro tied the game in the fifth with Rylee Mathis and Teagan Reynolds opening with one out singles. Valles then singled to left but the fielder bobbled the ball which gave Mathis enough leeway to come home.

Jaci Gann loaded the bases with the fourth straight single. With the bases full and one out, Lindemann got the next two hitters to strikeout to end the frame.

The Lady Eagles looked to end the game in regulation as Sydney Linn homered to open the Lady Eagle seventh. Jacksboro got the run back in its seventh as Gann and Harlee Richardson had back to back one-out doubles.

With the winning run at second in the person of Charlie Phariss, a flyout and strikeout moved the game into extra innings.

Jacksboro hurler Alex Holman, who picked up her 500th strikeout during the 2:43 contest, set down Holliday in order in the eighth. In the bottom of the frame, Tullous opened by beating out an infield single but was forced at second in place of Holman.

Mathis then moved her senior teammate to third with an off the wall rocket of a double. Reynolds then walked to load the sacks with one gone. A 1-2-3 double play ball forced Holman at home and got the runner at first to end the threat.

In the Lady Eagle ninth, a single, a stolen base and a groundout allowed Evelyn Perkins to third but a throw to retire her at third was off the mark, enabling the junior outfielder to score for a 7-6 lead. A strikeout, Holman’s seventh, would end the frame.

Jacksboro wouldn’t go down without a fight. Gann led off with a double down the left field line. Harlee Richardson sacrificed her to third.

A fly to right field and throw home to retire Gann ended the contest.