But Liz Reyes delivered a two-out single in the ninth inning to drive in Brittney Wilcox with the game-winning run to lift the Brahmaettes to 3-2 victory over Rosebud-Lott in a Class 2A Region IV quarterfinal Friday night.
East Bernard (26-3-1) advanced to face Yorktown or Dilley in the regional semifinals. Rosebud-Lott finished its season 17-5.
“They got the hits when they needed it,” R-L coach Keele Wells said. “That hurt us, but you can’t take away anything from them. They deserve it.”
The Lady Cougars survived a rocky first inning and an overpowering pitching performance by East Bernard junior Courtney Repka, who recorded 22 strikeouts and allowed one hit.
Lady Cougars freshman Victoria Conners matched Repka - not with gaudy statistics, but with the craftiness to get batters out and escape a couple of jams. Conners allowed five hits, walked six and struck out six. She pitched seven scoreless innings before the Brahmaettes scratched across the decisive run.
“We did expect (a tough game),” East Bernard coach Amy Bush said. “We knew they had to be a great team because they beat Hallettsville.”
Rosebud-Lott trailed throughout the game going into the top of the seventh when a daring base-running gamble ultimately sent the game into extra innings.
Conners led off by getting hit by a pitch. She stole second and was there while Repka was in the process of striking out Paige Bartek and Britnee Ward. But catcher Reyes dropped the third strike on Ward. Conners, running on the pitch, rounded third and went for home while Reyes threw to first to record the out. Conners slid under Repka’s tag following the return throw home to tie the game.
“That was a do-or-die situation,” Wells said. “We had to score a run and we were running whether we could make it happen or not.”
Despite allowing leadoff walks in the seventh and eighth, Conners held the Brahmaettes scoreless into the ninth.
Wilcox slapped a single to left to lead off the ninth and moved to second on a sacrifice. Reyes lined Conners’ first pitch into center to finish the game.
East Bernard, which blew out No. 1 Franklin in two games last week, jumped on the Lady cougars for two in the first inning. Repka sliced a two-run single to right to score Reyes and Haley Dawson for the early lead.
After Repka’s hit, Conners faced the minimum 15 batters though the fifth. She allowed one hit but got Dawson doubled off of second in the third when Bartek flagged down a fly in center.
“We had some jitters in the beginning,” Wells said. “I’ve got a freshman pitcher and a freshman catcher. They settled down a lot and she pitched more of her game.”
The Lady Cougars picked up a run in the third. Julie Thornton hit a bullet off of shortstop Dawson’s glove that was ruled an error. Tamara Fabianke’s sharply hit grounder went thorough Laura Kubes’ legs at second and Thornton scored from first.
Skylar Savage broke up Repka’s no hitter with a leadoff double in the sixth but was stranded at third.
“The girls did a great job,” Wells said. “We had a good team of individuals that we had to put together as a team. We made a lot farther than anybody thought.”
twaits@temple-telegram.com
