There will not be a fourth straight district championship won by the Houston High School softball team.
In a semifinal game in the 8-team Class 2 District 4 Tournament Monday at Mountain Grove, the third-seeded Lady Tigers fell to No. 2 Ava, 8-4.
Houston’s usually high-powered offense was more or less on pause for 3 innings, as only one batter reached base with a walk in the top of the second. The Lady Tigers finished with just 5 hits, including a pair of 2-run home runs by junior second baseman Katy Evans. Evans’ two homers raised her season total to an HHS record of 9.
Meanwhile, Ava scored twice on only 1 hit in the bottom of the first inning and increased the margin to 5-0 in the third frame on a 3-run double by junior Hunter Strunk.
Houston got on the board in the top of the fourth inning on Evans’ first blast, a massive shot over the left field fence that drove in senior third baseman Makinley Aaron, who had reached base with a single.
But the Lady Bears responded with 3 more runs on 3 hits in the bottom of the frame. The rally ended with a sparkling double play turned by the Lady Tigers, when Ava baserunners were tagged out at the plate and at third base.
Houston scored the final 2 runs in the contest in the top of the sixth inning when Aaron led off with a single and Evans connected on a round-tripper high over the fence in left-center field.
Strunk and HHS junior Lilly Kincaid each went the distance in the pitcher’s circle. Strunk recorded 9 strikeouts, 1 walk and 1 hit batter, while Kincaid allowed 7 hits while fanning 4, walking 4 and hitting 3 batters.
“It wasn’t what we expected,” said HHS head coach Jim Moore. “We felt good going in, but we just got off to a slow start.
Rain fell steadily for the first few innings, making things tough for both teams.
“We feel like the weather played a role,” Moore said, “but at the same time, it was the same for both teams. I wish we could have played on a day when it was sunny and the conditions were a lot better, because then I think it allows your best ball to be played and the best outcome to be had.
“But you have to be able to adjust to the elements, and Ava did and we didn’t.”
The Lady Bears’ win avenged an 11-2 loss to Houston April 28 at Ava.
“Getting behind 5-0 is hard to come back from when you’re playing a great team like Ava,” Moore said. “But I thought we played pretty well after the rain stopped; we made some big plays behind Lilly and outscored them from the third inning on.
“We just came up short.”
Ava defenders caught several hard-hit balls for outs.
“We’ve hit the ball well all year,” Moore said, “and we did have some solid contact again – it just went right to them. They were in the right place at the right time.”
FIRST ROUND
The two teams combined for 24 runs and 23 hits, but in the end, Houston beat Liberty 15-9 in the first round of the district tournament last Thursday.
Leading 6-4, the Lady Tigers essentially won the game by scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the third inning. The rally began with a pair of walks with nobody out and included 6 hits and 2 more walks.
With 2 outs in the frame, Aaron and Evans smacked back-to-back RBI doubles to put Houston ahead 12-4. After freshman Ava Koch walked, the margin grew to 14-4 when junior Ashley Gilbert banged a 2-run double to left field.
The seventh-seeded Lady Eagles crept closer with a run in the top of the fourth inning and then added 4 runs in the top of the sixth, but the Lady Tigers got the final run of the contest when senior Katy Scheets connected on an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, and the game concluded when Liberty went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.
With the score tied 3-all in the second inning, senior Lacey Cavaness hammered a 2-run triple to center field to give the Lady Tigers a lead they would never relinquish.
Houston finished with 12 hits in the matchup with 8 different players getting at least 1. All 9 players who saw action for the Lady Tigers scored at least 1 run, with 6 crossing the plate twice.
Kincaid and Liberty sophomore Delanie Ellett both pitched the entire game. Ellett gave up 13 earned runs, struck out 1 and walked 6, while Kincaid allowed 9 earned runs while fanning 7 and walking 7.
Houston finished the season with an overall record of 16-8 and went 2-3 in South Central Association conference play.
“This was a close-knit team,” Moore said. “They looked out for each other, played well together and they enjoyed being around each other. It was a fun environment to be in every day. I’m incredibly proud of them.”
Evans finished the campaign as the Lady Tigers’ leader in several offensive categories, including batting average (.528), home runs (9), extra-base hits (24) and runs scored (38), and was second in RBIs (40) and hits (38). Aaron was the team leader in RBIs (41) and hits (43).
Monday’s game marked the end of Moore’s stint at the helm of HHS softball, as he will head to Salem High School to become softball head coach, boys basketball assistant coach and assistant principal. During his tenure in Houston, the Lady Tigers won three district championships (in 2022, 2023 and 2024) and four SCA titles, and Moore was named SCA Co-Coach of the Year four straight seasons (2021 through 2024).
“I’m excited for the new adventure,” Moore said. “What’s hard is leaving behind a program that’s in good shape that I feel like I’ve had a big part in building. It’s still going to be competitive; whoever is my replacement is coming into a good position.
“But all the relationships you make with the players, and all the good moments you remember, it’s hard to leave that behind. But I told them I’m still their coach, and I’ll be their biggest fan for 364 days out of each year. But on that day we play each other, we’re going to compete.”
Ava (19-4) met top-seeded Thayer (17-4) in the district championship game on Tuesday of this week (May 13). The Lady Bobcats downed No. 4 Willow Springs 3-1 in the other semifinal.
