Playing a pair of South Central Association conference home games this week at the refurbished Carter Field, the Houston High School softball team came up short in both outings.
The Lady Tigers fell 18-16 to Thayer on Tuesday and were defeated by Mountain Grove on Thursday, 12-7.
THAYER
As the two teams took turns scoring runs, the Lady Tigers led 10-8 after 5 innings. But the visiting Lady Bobcats mounted a furious rally in the top of the sixth, scoring 10 times with 2 outs to lead 18-10 by the time the third out was recorded.
Houston cut the deficit with 3 runs in the bottom of the frame and another 3 in the seventh inning, but Thayer escaped with the victory.
The Lady Tigers’ offense generated 10 hits, including home runs by senior Lacey Cavaness, juniors Katy Evans and Gracyn McNiell and freshman Ava Koch.
Evans had another big outing at the plate, going 2-for-3 at with 2 walks, a homer, a double, 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
McNiell also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs. Her homer was the first of her career.
MOUNTAIN GROVE
What was a pitchers’ duel for a while turned into a different ballgame.
The Lady Tigers led 3-2 after 4 innings, but the visiting Lady Panthers rallied for 7 runs on 6 hits and 2 hit batters in the top of the fifth to build a commanding 9-3 advantage.
Houston crept closer with 3 runs in the bottom of the frame, but both teams got a run in the sixth inning and Mountain Grove went on top by 5 runs on a 2-out, 2-run home run by junior Chloe Slagle in the top of the seventh.
The Lady Tigers then went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Houston had 9 hits in the contest, while Mountain Grove had 14.
Aaron went 3-for-4 at the plate with a solo homer, a double, 3 RBIs and 2 runs, while Cavaness went 2-for-3 and scored twice.
Junior Lilly Kincaid started in the pitcher’s circle for the Lady Tigers and went 4 full innings, allowing 6 hits and 6 earned runs while striking out 3 and walking 1. Koch worked the final 3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 5 earned runs while fanning 1 and walking 1.
The Lady Panthers (4-3) will host the Class 2 District 4 Tournament later this season. Houston is also in the 8-team district.
Through Thursday, the Lady Tigers have already smashed 14 home runs this season, with seven different players hitting at least one. Aaron leads the way with 5 dingers, while Evans has 4 and five players have 1 apiece.
The Lady Tigers (8-4) travel to Mount Vernon Friday (April 11) to play games against three of the top Class 2 teams in the state, facing second-ranked Mount Vernon on Friday and taking on top-ranked Diamond and No. 7 Warsaw Saturday (also at Mount Vernon).
