They went from being tied for the District 7-3A lead with two games left to falling to the league’s No. 3 seed.
They had several personal possessions stolen from their bus during a playoff game.
They eliminated West in a Class 3A Region I quarterfinal after being swept by their district rival during the regular season.
They dropped Game 1 to Levelland in the regional semifinals but rebounded to win the series.
After that victory, the bus’ windshield wipers failed to work during a thunderstorm 10 miles outside of Wichita Falls.
This Lady Hornets’ school-record playoff run certainly has been one roller-coaster ride after another.
“It’s been an adventure,” senior third baseman/pitcher Randi Smith said.
Added senior outfielder Megan Chartier: “It’s so surreal. Sometimes I don’t believe it.”
Gatesville (30-9) can add another chapter to its memorable season when it plays Fredericksburg (25-7) at 7 p.m. today in the first game of the 3A-I final. Game 2 is at 7 p.m. Friday and, if necessary, Game 3 would be at 5 p.m. Saturday at the same site.
The winner advances to the University Interscholastic League 3A State Tournament from June 4-6 at Texas’ McCombs Field in Austin.
Just the thought of advancing to the state tournament seemed unrealistic to the players at the start of the season. But fifth-year coach Michelle Bartch recognized the potential early.
“We have a whole bunch of individual talent,” she said. “We didn’t lose anybody last year that wasn’t replaceable. I just said, ‘This is the year. You guys can do a lot of good things.’ It was just a matter of time until we put it all together.”
Two straight losses to end the regular season could have devastated the Lady Hornets. Instead, Bartch said she noticed a different look in her team as it swept its playoff opener against Wimberley.
“We had some seniors that started speaking up in the huddle and taking some leadership roles that they hadn’t taken all year,” she said. “You have six seniors, it’s realistic that their season could end any game.
“And then all of a sudden it’s realistic that as they get farther and farther into the playoffs that they start seeing, ‘Well, wait, the state championship game is not too far away.’ When you have six seniors visualizing that, it’s kind of like a domino effect.”
Gatesville’s belief grew as it defeated Burkburnett in three games in the area round. When the Lady Hornets returned to the bus, the players discovered thieves had taken items such as mp3 players, luggage, duffel bags, class rings, clothes, cell phones, iPods, sunglasses and wallets holding credit cards and drivers’ licenses.
Yet, they bounced back with a huge redemption win in the quarterfinal against West, which opened the players’ eyes.
“Not to be cocky, but we could beat anybody after we beat West,” Smith said. “We lost to them twice and we finally figured out we can win.”
Then, the Lady Hornets lost Game 1 to Levelland and were trailing in the sixth inning in Game 2 before rallying to win in eight innings. In the third game, Hill College signee Chartier went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, including a delayed steal of home. For the season, Gatesville’s leadoff hitter has swiped 52 bases on 54 attempts.
Her secret?
“I eat my vegetables,” said Chartier, who leads the team with a .464 batting average. “Somebody asked my mom how I got so fast and she was like, ‘I don’t know.’ And I was like, ‘I eat my vegetables.’”
Smith, a Trinity Valley signee, is second on the team with a .442 average, has set single-season school marks with 18 doubles and 44 RBI and holds the career record for home runs. She delivered a big homer in Game 2 against Levelland and has a 9-1 pitching record.
Junior pitcher Emily Leib is 21-8 and has a school-record 246 strikeouts and a team-best 0.91 earned-run average while hitting .402.
Senior Kylie Nichols, a .330 hitter who’s headed to Cisco Junior College next season, delivered a game-breaking three-run double against West. Senior Becca Augeri, an East Texas Baptist commitment, is at .323 and sophomore catcher Amber Colson is at .284.
Said Bartch: “It’s a whole other energy than I’ve ever seen this program have before so it’s kind of neat."
THE FREDERICKSBURG FILE
Fredericksburg (25-7) had never won a playoff game in school history before defeating Vernon in the area round. The District 8-3A champion Lady Billies have played only one-game playoffs, winning by narrow scores of 5-3, 2-1 and 3-1.
Ace Janice Aleman had nine strikeouts against Seminole to improve to 24-4. Alyssa Vela’s run-scoring single drove home Lyndsey Wheldon to give the Lady Billies a 2-1 lead.
During Fredericksburg’s Region I semifinal win against China Spring, Vela delivered with a walk-off single in the eighth inning.
When the Lady Billies allowed a second-inning run against Vernon to fall behind 1-0 in the area round, it was the first time they trailed in 101 innings.
The winner advances to the University Interscholastic League Class 3A State Tournament from June 4-6 at UT’s McCombs Field in Austin.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
