“It feels amazing — it honestly feels like a complete repeat — and we just want to come out here and finish it differently,” Ladycats senior pitcher Taylor McKean said. “We’ve built our way up and worked through some struggles just to get to where we are now and it’s so amazing.”
After Aledo claimed Game 1 by an 11-1 margin at home in five innings, the Ladycats faced tougher resistance on the Lady Hawks’ home field. Playing away from home in a contest delayed nearly two hours by lightning in the area, the Ladycats built an early lead, stayed the course, and powered past Birdville by a final score of 7-4 to claim the Region I title.
Aledo held a 4-0 lead following a home run barrage from the likes of freshman Tempe Perry, junior Kyleigh Pawlak, and junior Delaney Rosser through the top of the third inning before Birdville got on the board from a rare fielding error. Despite that, the team remained poised in the face of adversity.
“It’s nice to be able to work on something and execute it immediately,” Ladycats head coach Heather Myers said. “Obviously, there are some innings where we don’t score, but for the most part, we are having quality at bats and hitting hard line drives when we’re getting out. They’re just really good and disciplined and I hope to see it continue.”
Perry, who earned the win after 4.1 innings of work on the mound, was relieved by McKean. The senior ace was able to grind out a pair of tough outs following a three-run homer from Birdville that elicited McKean’s services. Regardless, the synergy remained intact and Aledo kept its eyes on the prize despite its lead dwindling to 6-4.
“Our older kids are really good mentors for these younger kids,” Myers said. “Now, Tempe (Perry) doesn’t play like a freshman at all and neither do Brooklyn (Taloa) or Rylee (Marx), but I’ve seen overwhelming support from the upperclassmen. After a game, they’re just jumping on each other because they are so excited (for them). The leadership we have has really opened the door for the younger kids to feel welcomed and feel like they can walk in and compete and not have to worry about someone being upset. It’s a loving atmosphere and I love that.”
In the top of the seventh inning, Marx delivered a clutch RBI single to give Aledo more breathing room at 7-4, and McKean delivered the final blow in the bottom of the frame with a harmless popout and two consecutive strikeouts.
“It’s not because of just a single person, we all work together,” McKean said. “I came in for Tempe (Perry) and she did so well tonight. We all really complement each other. We can all come off the bench, we all have big bats, we have an amazing (coaching) staff and we all are just so complementary to one another which makes us who we are.”
The first game saw plenty of scoreboard action after Birdville scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. In the bottom of the frame, Aledo responded with six runs in part of an 11-0 run to close the game. Senior shortstop Marina Taveras opened the scoring with a solo shot to left followed by an RBI triple from senior right fielder Addie Perry that cleared the bases. After that, Rosser and Pawlak delivered RBI hits to make it 6-1.
A solo homer from senior catcher Austyn Marriage and an RBI double from Pawlak increased the lead to 8-1 and RBIs from Jordyn Edington and Perry closed the action in the first game.
Three Ladycats went deep in the decisive Game 2 win. Tempe Perry, the winning pitcher, was one of the three who went long, finishing 3-for-3 with three RBI. Meanwhile, Pawlak hit a solo shot, scored two runs and finished 2-for-4 from the plate while Rosser also had a solo homer and an RBI to go with a 2-for-4 statline. Taveras was also impactful, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs. Both of her hits went for extra bases — a double and a triple.
In Game 1, senior right fielder Addie Perry was a spark plug as she went 2-for-4 — including a bases-clearing triple — along with two runs and four RBI. Pawlak went 2-for-3 with a two-RBI triple while Taveras (two-run homer) and Marriage (solo homer) went yard. McKean tossed a five-inning no-hitter with six strikeouts. She also pitched the final two innings of relief in Game 2 to secure the save.
“We’re going to have to lock in. We are going to have a really tough round next round, so in order to get past them, we are going to have to focus in and tough it out one last time and get through it together.”
Up next, Aledo (30-3, 10-0) will march on to the state semifinals. In the one-game state semifinal series, Aledo will face the defending-champion Melissa Lady Cardinals for a right to compete in the state finals. The game will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Euless Trinity High School.
“I tell them all the time that if we play a clean 21 outs on defense, we are going to be hard to beat because we hit the ball so well,” Myers said. “Staying disciplined at the plate is unanimous across the board and we understand that. Defensively, when people put pressure on us, they stayed awake, stayed alert, and didn’t fall apart. If there was an error or there was a miscue, they are really good at letting it go. If I see it on their face, I’ll tell them immediately and they tell me, ‘Sorry, Coach,’ and let it go because they know it’s not accepted. I have them count 10 seconds, let it go and learn from it. […] Our hitting is going to be fine, defense is going to win us games.”
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