Close won’t cut it

The Houston softball team nearly rallied from a seven-run deficit to beat one of the best teams on its schedule.

Coach Brent Hall wasn’t impressed.

“I don’t want the girls to think, ‘Hey, we did a good job coming back,’” Hall said following the 15-14 loss to Mansfield Monday on Carter Field. “We’ve done that in all our sports. We get patted on the back for putting a valiant effort up and getting back in the game.

“But the bottom line is we didn’t win.”

HHS nearly did.

Trailing by seven runs entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Houston sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times to pull within a run. The potential tying and winning runs were on base when Mansfield finally ended the comeback bid.

The Lady Tigers (3-4) faced a big deficit early as a second-inning error led to four unearned runs. Mansfield led 8-1 after the top of the third inning.

“I was very disappointed in the way we played,” Hall said. “We made a lot of silly mistakes that cost us runs throughout the game.”

Senior Olivia Woosley had four of Houston’s 16 hits and scored a team-high three runs. Lizzy Swindell and freshman Kaitlyn Root knocked in three runs apiece.

After two easy outs in the seventh, eight consecutive HHS batters reached base as the Lady Tigers pulled within striking distance.

Swindell started the rally with a run-scoring single to bring Woosley home. Stephani Crewse had a RBI single and Root brought home three runs with a double into the left-field gap to make it a one-run game. After freshman Taylor Chipps walked to put runners on first and second, leadoff hitter Autumn Walker popped out to second base to end the game.

Hall said his team’s struggles were mostly mental. They were just enough to come up short against Mansfield, which won the Lady Tigers’ eight-team tournament nine days earlier.

“We’ve got a great team,” Hall said. “I think we struggle sometimes with confidence issues. We have to believe we are as good as I believe they can be.”

On Thursday, Tommi Franklin and Tori McCloud had two hits apiece in Houston’s 15-9 home loss to Cuba.

Last Tuesday, Walker and Abbey Slocum had three hits apiece as the Lady Tigers beat Liberty 11-5 on Carter Field in their conference opener.

Swindell and McCloud added two hits apiece for HHS. Walker scored three times.

Senior Kylee Elmore gave up five hits in the complete-game victory. She walked six –– all in the first two innings –– and struck out one.

Houston (1-0 South Central Association) trailed by three runs early, and the game was tied 5-all after three innings. The Lady Tigers scored two times in the fourth and added four runs in the fifth to pull away.

BOX SCORES

Monday’s game

HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Autumn Walker 2b 5-2-1-1. Olivia Woosley ss 5-3-4-1. Lizzy Swindell 1b 4-1-3-3 Tommi Franklin 3b 5-2-1-1. Abbey Slocum rf 5-1-2-0. Tori McCloud cf 4-1-1-1. Stephani Crewse c 4-1-3-1. Kaitlyn Root lf 5-1-1-3. Taylor Chipps dp 2-2-0-0. Totals 39-14-16-11.

2B: Swindell, Franklin, McCloud, Root.

Losing pitcher: Elmore.

Last Thursday’s game

HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Autumn Walker 2b 4-0-0-0. Olivia Woosley ss 2-0-0-0. Lizzy Swindell 1b 4-1-0-0 Tommi Franklin 3b 3-2-1-0. Abbey Slocum rf 4-2-1-1. Tori McCloud cf 4-2-2-2. Stephani Crewse c 4-2-2-0. Kaitlyn Root lf 3-0-1-1. Taylor Chipps dp 3-0-2-1. Totals 31-9-9-5.

2B: McCloud.

Losing pitcher: Elmore.

Last Tuesday’s game

HOUSTON (ab-r-h-bi) – Autumn Walker 2b 5-3-3-1. Olivia Woosley ss 1-3-1-2. Lizzy Swindell 1b 2-2-2-3. Tommi Franklin 3b 3-0-0-0. Abbey Slocum rf 3-1-3-1. Tori McCloud cf 4-0-2-1. Stephani Crewse c 3-0-0-0. Katelyn Root lf 2-0-0-0. Taylor Chipps dp 3-2-0-0. Totals 26-11-11-9.

2B: Walker, Woosley, Swindell, McCloud. SB: Chipps 2, Woosley, Franklin, McCloud. SF: Woosley, Swindell.

Winning pitcher: Elmore.