CALDWELL – A week removed from winning the Tigerette Invitational, the Thrall Tigerettes (4-5-2) ran into stiff competition at the Caldwell tournament over the weekend. The Tigerettes posted a 1-3-1 record in the three-day event.
On Thursday, the Tigerettes dropped a pair of games to Rogers, 5-0, and Leon Jewett, 9-5, to start the tournament 0-2. But on Friday, the Tigerettes returned to action with renewed energy. They opened Friday play with a 10-4 loss to the Lexington Lady Eagles, but the bats were going for the Tigerettes.
Thrall scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but the Lady Eagles rallied to tie the score at two in the bottom of the frame. The Tigerettes regained the lead with two more runs in the second inning, but once again Lexington came back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-4 lead. The Lady Eagles put the game away in the third, tallying five runs on six hits. Riley Luton and Raelynn Johnson each drove in runs for the Tigerettes.
The Tigerettes picked up their only win of the tournament in their second game Friday. Thrall got to Taylor for four runs in the bottom of the first and made it hold up for a 4-1 win over the Lady Ducks.
The first run of the game scored when Miley Pokorny hit an infield single, driving in Mikayla Velasquez, who had led off the inning with a walk. Ashlyn Jarosek followed Pokorny with a triple to left field, scoring Johnson and Stephanie Widner for a 3-0 Thrall lead. Jarosek scored the final run of the inning when Autree Kelm hit a double to right.
Taylor scored its lone run in the top of the third inning. Camryn Nunamaker hit a one-out double to left to get things started for the Lady Ducks. Elicia Martinez’s fielder’s choice advanced Nunamaker to third, and she scored on a Tigerette error.
On Saturday, the Tigerettes rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit to host Caldwell, to earn a 3-3 tie with the Lady Hornets. The Tigerettes scored two of their runs in the top of the second inning, taking advantage of four walks and a Preslie Juranek double to make the score 3-2.
Then, Thrall knotted the score at three in the third inning. Johnson hit a one-out single, while Pokorny and Kelm both drew walks to load the bases. Next up was Briana Jarosek, who was hit by a pitch, which forced in the tying run.
In their final game of the tournament, the Tigerettes scores two runs in the first inning on three Madisonville errors and a Johnson double. But, the Lady Mustangs roared back, scoring five runs over the final three innings for a 5-2 win.
Thrall opened District 27-2A play Tuesday night on the road in Rosebud-Lott. They will finish the week playing in the Taylor tournament, beginning Thursday.
