River Road made quite the statement while taking over sole possession of possession of the District 1-3A lead at the halfway point after outslugging rival Bushland 14-9 on Monday afternoon at the Lady Wildcats Softball Complex.
It’s Bushland’s first district loss since 2021 when they fell to River Road. The Lady Falcons are now 12-13 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Lady Wildcats (18-6) remain perfect in district moving into first place at 5-0.
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River Road had hot bats early scoring six runs in the first two innings highlighted by a pair of singles by Emma Kilman that totaled three RBIs in those opening two frames. Bushland battled back in the top of the third cutting the lead 6-5 after a three-run blast by Addison Appier. That would be as close as the Lady Falcons came to a rally.
The Lady Wildcats immediately answered in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run bomb from Ava Sharp followed by an Ashlynn Ferris solo shot pushing the River Road lead back to 9-5. River Road went on to cruise from there.
Sharp was 3-for-5 including the homer with three RBIs. Ferris was 3-for-5 with that solo shot and Kilman had four RBIs on a 3-for-4 day at the dish.
Senior Carolyn Koval also celebrated a special afternoon in the win. Koval did her job at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, however, it was what she did in the circle that she’ll remember. Koval gutted out a complete game giving up seven runs against a strong Bushland lineup, but Koval did rack up eight strikeouts. Thanks to those eight K’s, Koval was able to celebrate a milestone going over 400 strikeouts for her stellar career.
In another district game Monday, Childress used a three-run fourth inning to get by Canadian 3-1 at home.
The Lady Bobcats are in third place of District 1-3A at 3-2 and 11-9-1 overall. Sophomore pitcher Ava Parr worked all seven innings in the circle scattering two hits while totaling 14 strikeouts. Parr was also added an RBI triple.
Dalhart also beat Tulia 14-8.
District 3-5A
Amarillo High and Tascosa each picked up big district wins on a breezy Tuesday afternoon.
The Lady Sandies stayed a game back of first place holding off Plainview 4-3. Brianna Cloud was clutch with a two-run double, and Ambree Anglin threw six innings without allowing a run with five strikeouts. The Lady Sandies are now 19-7-2 overall and 10-1 in league play.
Tascosa defended home turf beating Lubbock High 8-3. The Lady Rebels improve to 12-16 overall and 4-7 in District 3-5A with the victory. Kassidy Langeland had a big game going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in. Tinslee Mena was strong in the circle throwing a complete game allowing only one run on three hits with a strikeout.
Caprock didn’t help itself on Tuesday. The Lady Longhorns fell on the road to Lubbock Monterey 19-8. Caprock (10-8-1) are now 6-5 in district.
District 4-4A
A nine-run top of the second was more than enough to pace Randall during a 22-0 blanking of Borger on Monday in a District 4-4A matchup.
The Lady Raiders (21-7) stay two games back of Dumas for first place in the league at 7-2. Randall will play at Dumas on Friday depending on the weather.
The breakout second inning was ignited by a pair of doubles from Kaley Wiseman and Alyssa Navarrete that totaled four runs. Randall then went on to score seven more runs in the fifth to close the contest out.
Jaycee Mata went 3-for-4 to help Randall finishing with four RBIs. Wiseman, Jazlynn Quigley and Tatum Gibson all added two runs driven in. Quigley also did her part handcuffing Borger hitters earning six strikeouts over five scoreless innings.
Dumas stayed unbeaten in district outscoring Perryton 24-11. The Demonettes smashed 24 hits with seven extra base-hits. Vida Fierro blasted Perryton pitching going 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Aaliyah Chairez had a team-high six RBIs and Star Cortes added four runs driven in. Dumas (24-3) is all alone atop District 4-4A at 9-0.
Canyon stayed hot after Hustling by Hereford 13-4 on Tuesday. Kylee Evers had a big day going 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs. Bayleigh Burks was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. The Lady Eagles (19-6-2) are all alone in third place of District 4-4A at 6-3.
West Plains went on the road and doubled up Pampa in a key district game 8-4. The win puts the Lady Wolves (5-11-1) in a fourth-place tie with Pampa (13-6) at 5-4 in league action. Emory Chancler was the key to the win blasting two, two-run home runs.
District 1-2A
West Texas High took care of business by handling Sunray 15-2 on Tuesday.
The Lady Comanches push their overall record to 10-5 and move to 3-3 in district. Mackenzie Elliott feasted on Lady Bobcat pitching going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. In another district game, Booker hammered Follett 27-8.
Highland Park stepped out of district to take on Clarendon. The Lady Broncos saw a big offensive outing from Hayden Elam during a 22-0 shutout. Elam smashed a grand slam and tallied seven RBIs in the victory. Clarendon is now 16-5 overall.