The Brownwood Lady Lions clinched their third victory of the day and stretched their win streak to eight games Friday afternoon with a 10-1 triumph over Hico to conclude their first of two days of action in the Battle on the Bayou tournament.
Following victories of 4-3 over Cisco and 13-0 over Lubbock Estacado, the Lady Lions compiled 13 more hits against Hico, while also reaching double digits in runs for the second time Friday.
“It took us a little bit to heat up, it was an early morning, we had to adjust to some of the pitching that we saw and it took a little bit to get comfortable and put the ball in play,” said Lady Lions head coach Cherita Munguia. “We are very proud of the fact that it doesn’t matter where we are in the lineup, each girl is going to go up there and put the team on her back and be aggressive and aim to be successful every time they go up to bat.”
Hanah Campos and Kaydence Allen recorded a team-best three hits apiece trailed by two each from Adyn Lucas and Maitlyn Esquivel, and one apiece by Brenda Allen, Carlee Burks and Audrey Keas. Lucas, Esquivel, Keas and Kaydence Allen also finished with two RBIs apiece.
In the circle, Kaydence Allen also tossed a no-hitter and came one dropped pop fly away from a perfect game. Allen finished with 10 strikeouts over four innings after an up and down performance in Friday’s opener against Cisco.
“Kaydence came out in the second game and looked faster, she had her shoulders back and she was ready to end the day with a win,” Munguia said. “She’s really starting to step into her role as the leader on this team and we’re really excited for her.”
Brownwood took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Campos led off with a single and scored on an RBI ground out by Brenda Allen.
The Lady Lions padded the cushion to 4-0 in the second as Kaydence Allen singled and courtesy-runner Eboni Baker scored on an RBI triple by Esquivel. An RBI ground out from Keas scored Esquivel, then Campos doubled and was later plated by an RBI single from Lucas.
The five-run third for Brownwood featured a lead single by Brenda Allen, who scored on Kaydence Allen’s RBI double. Esquivel then singled home Kiara Delce, running for Kaydence Allen. Keas followed with an RBI single that plated Esquivel, Campos’ RBI single scored Keas, and Lucas’ RBI single brought home Campos.
Amarrea Thomas played third base during the morning games with Carlee Burks attending the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. With Burks back for Hico, Thomas stepped in at catcher for Nevaeh Perez, who was injured in the Estacado game. Audrey Keas originally moved from right field to catcher when Perez was initially hurt, but against Hico, Keas manned second base after Lila Mares left with an injury.
“We had some injuries today with our catcher going down running bases and our second baseman took a hit to the head, so we had to move some people in different places,” Munguia said. “Kudos to Thomas for stepping up and going behind the plate and she did an excellent job, and our freshman Keas has been moved around all over the field and she just goes and does it with a smile. She’ll do whatever it takes for her team and that’s a huge thing.”
Regarding both the offensive and defensive depth the Lady Lions have displayed early in the season, Munguia said, “It’s a blessing. I can’t tell you how honored I am to have 16 girls who come in here and put their teammates first and the program first and re willing to do their role, whatever that is, and accept it and do it to best of their ability.”
The Lady Lions (8-1) will wrap up tournament play Saturday with games against Burnet at 10:30 a.m. and Hawley at 1:30 p.m.
“We’ll see different pitching coming from Burnet, and we’ve struggled against them in the past so the girls are ready to try and get a win against them,” Munguia said of the Saturday objectives. “I want to see us be more consistent with pitch selection and not give the other pitchers any additional strikes. I also want to see a lot of defensive cleanliness and a lot more communication than we saw today.”
