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Dripping Springs High School softball was unable to get past the area round in its quest to get to the state tourney this year.
With the exception of a few upsets, the bi-district round of playoffs is designed to eliminate the weaker teams in the competition. With that in mind, the area round begins the tougher matches where, in most cases, both teams are good and games are very competitive. A play or two can be the difference in winning or losing. This is the situation the Dripping Springs Lady Tigers found themselves in after defeating Stony Point High School and matching up with San Antonio’s East Central High School.
Unless a coach determines they have the best chance to just roll the dice and let it fly on one game, most put their faith in a best of three. Coach Wade Womack has three top pitchers and likes to take his chances on the long run.
Everyone likes to get the edge by winning the first game for two reasons. A team only has to win one of the next two to advance, but also, in the case of bad weather and time runs out, that game determines the winner.
Four-run innings were big in the first two games. East Central would cross the plate four times in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead in the first game. They would extend the lead to 8-0 before the Lady Tigers would get their four runs in the sixth, and Dripping Springs eventually fell 10-4. DSHS was outhit 13-6. Erika Kanetzky nailed two hits and eight for the series. Taylor Anderson, Jordan Cox, Linan Scott and Haiden Anderson got the other four. Cox started the game and pitched 4.1 innings and was touched for 7H, 7R, 4ER, 3W, 1K. H. Anderson relieved for 2.2IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 3W, 3K.
That put the Lady Tigers behind the eight ball. The site moved from Wimberley to Marion. The solution was simple: win two or go home. It got a little scary when EC opened with four runs, but DSHS matched it in the top of the second inning, aided by Cox's homerun. It remained that way until the seventh when Jai-Lynn Flores hit a sac fly to bring in the winning run. Each team had seven hits with Kanetzky getting three, Flores two, and one each from Cox and H. Anderson. Flores took the mound for 6IP, 7H, 4R, 2ER, 7W, 1K. H. Anderson shut the door on any EC comeback. The Lady Tigers lived for the next day.
Neither team wanted to end their season as the third game indicated. It was monumentally tense. EC scored in the first. DSHS would tie it in the third, but EC would go back ahead with one in their half. DS tied it with one in the fourth, but again, EC scored twice in their half. Back came the Lady Tigers to tie the game at four in the top of the fifth. DSHS would take the lead with one in the seventh, but EC tied it in their half to go into extra innings. DSHS was unable to crack the scoring in the next three innings, and finally, in the bottom half EC got a two-out single and a walk, followed by a base hit to left field to score the winning run. H. Anderson tossed 6.1 innings, 5H, 5R, 4ER, 5W, 2K. Cox came in for 3.1IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3W, 1K. Getting the dozen hits for DSHS were Kanetzky 3 (3B), T. Anderson 2(2B), Kate Tressler 2, Elianna Amato HR, Cox 2B, Scott, H. Anderson, Flores.
This was a veteran team, and the losses will call for some major changes in the lineup next year. As most know, the Lady Tigers have the reputation of re-loading, not re-building, and returning Anderson and Flores on the mound will certainly aid the cause.
