Bangs Lady Dragons 5, Forsan 2

SAN ANGELO – The Bangs Lady Dragons seized control of their Class 2A Division I Region I softball area playoff series with a 5-2 triumph over Forsan Thursday at Central High School.

The series resumes with Games 2 and 3, if needed, at 2 p.m. Saturday back at San Angelo Central.

In Thursday’s win for Bangs (24-7), the Lady Dragons grabbed a 3-0 edge in the bottom of the second inning. Forsan trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the third, but Bangs tacked on two insurance runs in the fifth. Forsan mustered just one more run in the sixth inning.

In the circle, Abby Wolf scattered seven hits while allowing two earned runs with 11 strikeouts and three walks. The Bangs defense played error-free behind her.

Offensively, Bangs generated six hits as Aubree Buford led the way with a pair and one RBI, while Mattisyn Taylor drove in two and collected one hit. Stormy Stringer contributed one hit and an RBI, while Neeley Bradley and Julianna Ethridge also logged one hit each.

The Bangs-Forsan series winner will face either Clarendon or Hale Center in the regional semifinals next weekend.

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Hawley 9, Bangs Dragons 1

EULA – The Bangs Dragons face a 1-0 deficit in their best of three Class 2A Division I Region I baseball bi-district playoff series after 9-1 setback to Hawley here Thursday.

Games 2 and 3, if needed, are back in Eula at 4 p.m. Friday.

The Dragons (15-9) fell behind 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning, scored their lone run in the top of the fourth, then yielded five more runs in the sixth.

Bangs tallied six hits – two each by Hunter Crowell and Connor Bible, who drove in a run, and one apiece from Skylar Minshew and Jackson Edimsten.

On the mound, Jaxon Duncan and Crowell surrendered eight earned runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts and four walks. The Dragon defense committed one error behind them.