Trailing 3-2 with 2 outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh inning, the top-seeded Houston High School softball team rallied to score 2 runs and pulled of an amazing 4-3 victory over No. 3 West County in the championship game of the Class 2 District 3 Tournament Thursday at Potosi.
After the first two batters in the frame struck out, junior Lacey Cavaness reached base on an error and sophomore Lilly Kincaid smacked a single to center field to put runners at first and third. Junior third baseman Makinley Aaron then stepped up to the plate and drilled the first pitch she saw down the left field line for a walk-off 2-run double, setting off a wild celebration among Houston players, coaches and fans.
The district crown is the HHS softball program’s third straight.
“They’re all special,” said HHS head coach Jim Moore, “but this one is really special.”
Prior to the late rally, Houston’s only runs were scored in an odd sequence in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Aaron and senior first baseman Kelsey Pritchett both reached base on errors to begin the frame, Lady Bulldogs junior pitcher Grace Barton struck out the next three batters.
But the third strikeout didn’t result in the third out, as the catcher dropped the ball on the third strike against HHS junior Sophia Crites. After multiple errors committed by the Lady Bulldogs, Crites had safely reached first base and both Aaron and Pritchett had scored to put the Lady Tigers ahead 2-0.
Neither team scored again until the top of the sixth inning, when West County got runners on base with a walk and a single, and then tied the game on a 2-run triple to center field by senior second baseman Natalie Womack. Before the inning was over, the Lady Bulldogs took the lead when Womack scored on an error.
Kincaid went the distance in the pitcher’s circle for Houston and scattered 5 hits while striking out 2 and walking 2. Barton also threw a complete game, allowing 6 hits while fanning 10 and not issuing a walk.
Kincaid went- 3-for-4 at the plate in the contest and scored the winning run, while Aaron went 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, 2 RBIs and a run scored. Her triple came with 2 outs in the fifth inning, but she was stranded on third base after a pop-up.
The Lady Bulldogs committed 5 errors in the contest, while the Lady Tigers had 3.
The win improved Houston’s overall record to 19-3, with 19 wins setting a new high for the program. The Lady Tigers also won the South Central Association championship this season with an unblemished 7-0 run in conference play.
Tears and hugs were plentiful in the aftermath of the win, as Houston players and their family members gathered on the field at the Trojan Sports Complex.
Pritchett – the Lady Tigers’ only senior – has the rare status of playing a significant role on three softball district championship teams.
“This feels awesome,” she said. “We worked so hard this year. We had a lot of young girls and I don’t think many people expected this. We work as a family really well; everyone picks each other up and there hasn’t been a bad moment.”
Aaron is leading the team in several offensive categories this season, including batting average, hits and RBIs. She has also been a virtual vacuum at third base and leads the squad in assists while committing only 1 error.
“We work as a team,” she said, “and we really go together well. We really cheer each other on and tell each other, ‘come on, you got the next play.’”
Kincaid has been pitching for only a couple of years, and used a masterful combination of speeds and locations to keep West County batters off balance.
“Our pitcher was a big asset to our team today,” Aaron said.
Houston reached the final game of the 9-team district tournament by beating No. 8 Bourbon in the first round and defeating No. 4 Potosi in the semifinals, while West County (of Park Hills) got there by downing No. 6 Salem and topping No. 2 Steelville.
During Moore’s 7-year tenure at the helm of HHS softball, the Lady Tigers have won three district championships and three conference championships.
“I’m proud of all of my teams,” Moore said, “but this is the true definition of a team. They root for each other, they help each other and they lean on each other – and they compete. They play 7 hard innings and see what happens.”
Houston will play on the road Tuesday (May 14) against District 4 champion Willow Springs in the quarterfinals round of the Class 2 State Tournament. The winner of the contest will advance to the Class 2 Final Four.
