Natalie Garcia drove in three runs and Natalie Newton gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings to lead the Thorndale Lady Dogs (16-6, 9-1) to an 8-2 win over the Thrall Tigerettes (15-8, 8-2) Tuesday night.
Thorndale took a 4-0 lead after two innings, after scoring a pair of runs in each inning. An Emilee Baker single and a Garcia triple accounted for the first run of the game, and a routine grounder made the score 2-0. A walk, an error, and a Garcia single tallied two runs in the second for the host Lady Dogs.
Thrall cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth inning. Dezi Lopez roped a double to left to open the Tigerettes’ half of the inning and Addison Leschber followed, launching her eighth homerun of the season over the left-field fence to cut the score to 4-2.
The Thrall momentum was short-lived however, as the Lady Dogs answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. A pair of hits, including a Baker double, and a fielder’s choice allowed two runs to score. And, with two outs, another Lady Dog came home on a passed ball to give Thorndale a 7-2 advantage. Thorndale added one insurance run in the bottom of the fifth.
Lopez led the Tigerettes with three hits in four trips to the plate, while Leschber added two hits. Aubrie Henderson took the loss in the circle. Her record falls to 9-6 on the season. She allowed five runs on eight hits over four innings. Newton got the win for Thorndale.
The win gives Thorndale the season sweep of the Tigerettes, which all but guarantees the Lady Dogs the District 27-2A title. Thrall still controls its own fate in the race for second place in the district. The Tigerettes have two key games next week that will go a long way in determining playoff seedings. Milano will travel to Thrall on Tuesday and the Tigerettes will be in Bremond on Thursday.
