WOODROW – After digging themselves an insurmountable hole in Game 1 of their Class 4A Division I Region I semifinals series, the Brownwood Lady Lions pressured the TGCA Class 4A No. 4 Dumas Demonettes from start to finish in Game 2 Friday. Unfortunately for the Lady Lions, Dumas weathered an early storm and collected an 8-6 victory to end Brownwood’s campaign in the third round of the playoffs, matching its deepest postseason run since the 2016 state tournament appearance.
“There’s nothing I love more than these kids and this program and no one fights like Brownwood,” said Lady Lions head coach Cherita Munguia. “There’s a lot of teams, after the game we had last night, that would have just come out here and thought they were going to get run-ruled, but we didn’t. They walked out here and started swinging the bat. We had to move some players around and some people stepped up that haven’t even been on the field in a month or more. Our pitchers, Tynlea Wilson and Kaydence Allen, went out there as a pact. It was insane to see what we’ve been preaching all along, that it takes everybody and we’re a family. Dumas is an excellent ball club and for us to come out here and contest this and have bases loaded in the top of the seventh down by two, there’s just nothing more I can say about their fight, their energy and their passion.”
Coming off a 15-6 loss in Game 1 Thursday night, the Lady Lions exploded for five runs in the top of the first inning to seize control early. Brownwood tacked on another run in the second for a 6-0 cushion, and Tynlea Wilson held the Demonettes scoreless over the first two frames.
“We knew they were going to get hits off us eventually, so we knew we had to try and strike first and we did,” Munguia said. “What we couldn’t afford to do was not continue to strike after the second inning. We just got too antsy and eager and out in front. There were some nerves and mistakes, swinging on change ups on the first strike, but those are things you learn as you get put in these situations.”
Brownwood’s first inning featured singles by Jeniffer Romero and Carlee Burks off Dumas starter Madi Zubia to start the contest, then Chloe Walls’ RBI single up the middle plated Romero, while a throw from the plate to second base to attempt to retire Burks heading back to the bag sailed into the outfield, allowing her to score.
Leading 2-0, Tynlea Wilson reached on the second Dumas error of the inning, a wild throw from third base. Lila Mares then walked to load the bases, but Hanah Campos hit a grounder to third base where Wilson was retired on a force out, then a throw to the plate resulted in Walls being tagged out for a double play.
Kaydence Allen then stepped to the plate and grounded to third, where the third Dumas miscue of the frame – another errant throw to first – permitted Mares and Campos to cross the plate with two outs.
In front 4-0, an RBI double to center field by Jakayla Peek plated Allen for a 5-0 advantage.
Wilson retired Dumas in order in the bottom of the first, then Brownwood went back to work as, with two outs in the top of the second, Walls extended the inning with a single to left field and raced home on Wilson’s RBI single up the middle.
The Lady Lions maintained a 6-0 cushion until the bottom of the third as Mia Fry led off with single, Yaritza Vargas drew a walk, and Vida Fierro launched a three-run home run off Wilson over the center field fence.
Dumas then drew even at 6 in the bottom of the fourth as Sania Reyes singled, then Fry tripled her home. Vargas – who tallied five hits in Game 1 – followed with a fly ball to left field that was misplayed into a two-run, inside-the-park home run, which evened the score.
Brownwood appeared poised to retake the lead in the top of the fifth as Wilson again singled with one out and Mares hit a rocket to left field off relief pitcher Star Cortes. A ball that originally looked as if it might clear the wall rattled off the bottom of the fence for a long single. With two on and one out, the Lady Lions were unable to push across the go-ahead.
Instead, it was Dumas that forged ahead in the bottom of the fifth as Lisbeth Quiroz led off with a double and Suzette Reyes followed with a walk. With two outs, Vargas tripled to the right-center field wall for third and fourth RBIs as Quiroz and Reyes both crossed the plate for an 8-6 Demonette edge.
The Lady Lions’ final gasp in the top of the seventh saw Wilson single with two outs, Mares walk and Campos reach on a base hit to load the bases. With the go-ahead run at first base, however, Cortes recorded the final out on an infield pop out to end Brownwood’s season.
On Friday, the Lady Lions recorded 10 hits – three by Wilson, a pair by Walls, and one each from Peek, Campos, Mares, Burks, and Romero.
In the circle, Wilson and Allen alternated throughout the contest as Wilson gave up five runs on six hits with three walks over 3.1 innings, and Allen surrendered three runs on three hits with six strikeouts and no walks in 2.2 innings of work.
Friday’s game concluded the high school careers of Walls, Romero, Peek, Wilson and Peyton Pena.
Reflecting on the Lady Lions (19-13) season, Munguia said, “I don’t think anybody thought we’d be standing here in the regional semis playing Dumas and to go toe-to-toe after basically being blown out yesterday, they surpassed every expectation for themselves. I only wish sometimes they could be as confident in themselves as I am in them, but that’s going to come with time. But we found our love for softball again, our passion, and our family this season.”
Dumas (34-5) will next face Andrews (31-7) for the Class 4A Division I Region I championship and a trip to the state tournament next weekend.
