As their impressive season continues on through their continued dominance of district foes, the No. 4 Aledo Ladycats showcased another masterclass performance in front of their home fans Tuesday night, April 8, against the second-place Fossil Ridge Lady Panthers. The Ladycats’ familiar formula was on full display with another performance of quality, complementary softball as Aledo rolled to a 14-0 win in five innings.
Senior shortstop Marina Taveras got the home team on the board early after her bases-clearing RBI triple gave Aledo a 3-0 lead. The Ladycats scored four more runs — the last two coming on an RBI single from Jordyn Edington — to balloon the lead to 7-0 as the initial inning concluded.
After a scoreless second inning, Aledo plated four more runs in the third inning via RBIs from Delaney Rosser, Kyleigh Pawlak, and Taveras. The home team scored three more in the following frame as Kellen Overturff’s two-out infield single paved the way from RBI hits from Grace Heath and Rosser.
Star senior pitcher Taylor McKean provided a fitting end to the game by retiring the final three batters she faced. McKean, who also produced an RBI double at the plate, surrendered two hits and one walk while striking out 13 Fossil Ridge batters on just 73 total pitches.
In their previous district outing, a four-inning, 17-0 win at Chisholm Trail, the Ladycats secured their 50th consecutive district victory, which dates back four years, and saw McKean record her 350th career strikeout.
“We take it one game at a time, so it doesn’t seem as monumental as it is until you get there, and then you’re like, ‘Holy smokes,’” Ladycats head coach Heather Myers said of her team’s recent achievements. “It takes a lot of discipline, and we talk about discipline all the time, but it really shows when you start seeing feats like 50 straight district wins and 350 strikeouts.”
McKean, who currently sports a 1.42 ERA and 113 strikeouts through 54.1 innings this year, has been a key component to her team’s success this year, and her previous experiences in the program have benefitted in her impressive career to date.
“Last year was really the first year that she [McKean] came in and started really pitching every other game,” Myers said. “She’s always had really good pitching in front of her, who she’s gotten to work with and receiving mentoring from, and I know that has helped her out a lot. I was talking with one of my coaches just imagining how many strikeouts she’d have if she’d been pitching since her freshman year — it’s incredible. She’s so good and so talented, and that’s just a credit to her and her work ethic. Again, it’s an incredible feat, but we take it one game at a time until you realize it. It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of just not paying attention.”
The Ladycat defense currently has an astounding 0.967 fielding percentage this season. An 0.994 fielding percentage against district foes has provided great synergy between those in the field and those who find their softball niche in the circle.
“No matter what, they are always coming to play their best game for whoever is on the mound,” Myers said. “I think that speaks a lot to their camaraderie and their respect for the pitching staff. The defense comes for the pitchers and the pitchers have a lot of trust knowing they can relax and miss a pitch and know that their defense is going to work behind them, which is a big deal. Knowing that they’ve got each others’ backs, knowing that they love each other — we’re around each other a lot — so there will be little tiffs here and there, but they overcome it pretty well. They know how to overcome as a team because when it’s game time, we aren’t bringing anything from the outside — it’s the maturity that I like to see.”
Taveras led the offense going 2-for-3 with a triple, four RBI and one run scored. Rosser produced one hit, one run, and three RBI while Addie Perry added a team-high three runs and one hit. Edington added a run to go with her two-run RBI single while Pawlak and Heath combined for three runs and two RBI. Freshmen Brooklyn Taloa and Tempe Perry each scored a run while Overturff had a hit and a run.
Historic win over Chisholm Trail
As their strong season continues to roll along, the No. 4 Aledo Ladycats celebrated a historic win at Chisholm Trail on Friday, April 4. The win saw the team’s senior ace earn an impressive individual milestone in the program’s 50th consecutive district victory, which dates back to 2021. All of this was made possible in Aledo’s overwhelming 17-0 run-rule shortened victory.
Star senior Taylor McKean threw all three innings from the mound with eight strikeouts to reach her milestone of 350 career strikeouts. On offense, she hit an RBI double that scored two runs. This season, McKean has thrown more than 50 innings and has eclipsed 100 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.56.
Senior outfielder and leadoff hitter Addie Perry led the charge from the plate with five RBI and a run scored off her scoring hits — a triple and a double. Additionally, Kyleigh Pawlak, Rylee Marx, and Gracie Jones each contributed with RBI doubles.
The Ladycats (20-3, 9-0) will compete inside the diamond again at 7 p.m. Friday, April 11, at Saginaw.
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