Tigerettes roll to 7-3A opening win

HOLLIDAY – You couldn’t blame Alex Holman for having a little bit of trepidation late in Tuesday’s District 7-3A softball opener.

Jacksboro’s senior pitcher had done a solid job in the circle but faced one last hurdle before she and her teammates could celebrate … and it was a big one. It was in the form of fellow pitcher Addy Lindemann, who was 3-3 at the plate in the game.

The Lady Eagles were down to their final out but had runners at second and third. The pair battled before Lindemann popped out back to Holman to end Jacksboro’s 7-3 win over the hostesses.

It was the second win in less than a week in Holliday, as the Tigerettes opened tournament play last weekend with a 14-1 punishment of Class 4A Sweetwater. Holman allowed seven hits but fanned six without a walk in the 1:54 contest.

Jacksboro had had problems winning here in the past but showed early what was to come, getting on the board in the first. Holman picked up a two-out walk with courtesy runner Charlie Phariss stealing second and scoring as Jaci Gann roped a 2-2 pitch into left center. She was stranded as the next hitter popped up.

The visitors broke things wide open in the third. Hadlee Richardson drew a one-out walk with Kylie Tullous reaching on a shortstop’s miscue, one of three for Holliday on the afternoon. Holman then aided her cause with a single through the box to score her cousin for a 2-0 lead. Rylee Mathis then scored Tullous and Phariss with a two-out single for a 4-0 cushion before the rally ended with a popout to the pitcher.

Holliday cut the deficit in half with a two-run fourth but the visitors got the runs back in the top of the fifth. Richardson beat out a leadoff bunt single and scored as Holman aided her cause again with a double.

Courtesy runner Phariss scored for the third time following Gann’s second RBI single of the contest for a 6-2 lead. Gann was left holding the bag at third as the next two batters were strikeout victims.

A Lindemann single and an error accounted for the final hostess run in the bottom of the sixth. Once again, Jacksboro got the run back in its final at-bat.

Gann singled, but was forced at second in place of Mathis. Back-to-back singles by Valles and Teagan Reynolds brought home Mathis before a strikeout ended the threat.

The squad returned to loop action with games Monday and Tuesday vs. Bowie and City View. No results were available as of press time.