The Shelbyville Lady Dragons have advanced to the regional semifinals following their victory over the Joaquin Lady Rams. The two district rivals battled it out in a threegame series with game one taking place Wednesday, May 10 in Lufkin.
The Lady Dragons came out swinging in game one with six runs in the bottom of the first. Joaquin got on the board in the top of the third with one run, but Shelbyville would extend their lead by four in the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 10-1, the Lady Rams came alive in the sixth inning with seven runs giving them a chance. The Lady Dragons tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth and held Joaquin scoreless making the final score 13-8, Shelbyville.
Lanie Bass and Taylor Jones split pitching duties for the Lady Dragons. Bass led this game in strikeouts with seven. Shelbyville senior Kara Jones led in RBIs with four. Brooklyn Bagley and Jaylee Cater pitched for the Lady Rams. Bagley struck out five.
Joaquin and Shelbyville returned to Lufkin on Saturday to settle game two. The Lady Rams were able to stay alive and force game three with an 8-7 win. After the third inning, Shelbyville led 6-2. Joaquin battled back in the final three innings. The two teams entered the seventh inning tied at 6-6. Joaquin held Shelbyville to one run giving the Lady Dragons a narrow 7-6 lead. With the game on the line, Joaquin was able to get two runners across home plate for the win.
Bagley pitched a full seven innings for the Lady Rams. Bass and Jones once again split duties for the Lady Dragons. Bagley and Bass each struck out seven. Bagley and Tay Wilson each had two RBIs for the Lady Rams.
Game three followed half an hour after game two. Shelbyville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and maintained a lead throughout this game. The Lady Dragons earned the right to advance with an 8-4 victory.
Bass and Jones closed out the series pitching for the Lady Dragons. Bass struck out five. Karoline Oswalt took on the lion’s share of pitching for the Lady Rams.
After taking third place in district play, Shelbyville is now the lone survivor of District 22-2A. District Champion Beckville was ousted by the Groveton Lady Indians last week. With only 16 teams left in contention, the Lady Dragons have already accomplished a lot this season. They will now move on to face the winner of District 19-2A, Hawkins. The two teams will meet Thursday, May 18 at 6:00 p.m. in Hallsville for game one of three. Game two will follow on Friday at 7:00 p.m. with game three to follow on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. if necessary.