THRALL — The Thrall Tigerettes entered the final week of the regular season sitting in a tie for fifth place and needing wins against Bremond and Rosebud-Lott to secure a playoff spot. They were also looking at five games over five days because of last week’s rain. The Tigerettes rose to the challenge, winning three of four, including splitting a doubleheader with Bremond on Saturday and besting Rosebud-Lott on Monday to clinch a playoff berth.
Monday night the Tigerettes (20-8 overall, 9-6 District 27-2A) spotted the Rosebud-Lott Lady Cougars a 5-0 lead through four innings but scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to rally for a 6-5, playoff-clinching win.
Mikayla Velasquez’s bat provided much of the offense for the Tigerettes. She finished the game with a pair of hits in four trips to the plate, but one of those hits was a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning that put Thrall ahead. She also had a run-scoring double in the fifth inning that scored the Tigerettes’ first run of the game and started the rally.
Melaina Grissom’s two-run single in the fifth cut the Rosebud-Lott lead to 5-3, setting up Velazquez’s game-winning shot in the sixth.
On Saturday, the Tigerettes played a double-header with Bremond. Bremond got to Thrall starting pitcher Miley Pokorny for 12 runs on eight hits through four innings and run-ruled the Tigerettes 13-3 in the opener. But, in the second game, Ashlyn Jarosek drove in three runs with a pair of home runs to help lead the Tigerettes to an 8-2 win.
Jarosek, Kenzie Engelke, and Adelynn Bishop each had three hits in the second game, while Pokorny struck out 10 opposing batters and allowed just seven hits over seven innings of work to get the win.
Thrall started their five-game stretch with a 12-0 shutout of Holland on Friday night. Velasquez went four for four and Jarosek drove in four runs in the win. Engelke added another three hits, while Grissom and Dezi Lopez each had two hits for the Tigerettes. Pokorny threw a two-hit shutout in the circle.
The Tigerettes were scheduled to close out the regular season Tuesday night at home against Bartlett. Thrall’s likely first-round opponent will be Johnson City (16-41) in bi-district action next week.
