Lady Cavs down Bryan, make playoffs

MONTGOMERY, Texas – They did it the hard way, but the College Park High School softball team secured the fourth and final playoff berth from District 14-5A. It took a 6-4 win on Monday over Bryan in a tie-breaker on a neutral site to do it.

Nikki Giles pounded out three hits, all extra bases, while Julie Charbonneau belted a two-run homer as the Lady Cavaliers (17-7) piled up eight hits en route to the playoff-clinching victory at Montgomery High School.

Peyton Hutchens went the distance in the circle, striking out five while scattering five hits. She yielded only single markers in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings.

College Park led 1-0 in the first inning and broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning with three runs, highlighted by Charbonneau’s blast. The Lady Cavaliers extended the lead to 6-2 with two more runs in the fourth inning before holding off a late rally from Bryan, which forced the tie-breaker with a 1-0 win over the Lady Cavs on Friday.

Aubrey Hanson contributed with two hits and Hutchens added another. Ally Holland also drove in a run.

College Park snapped a three-game slide and will take on No. 4 state-ranked and District 13-5A champions Atascocita (27-1) in a best-of-three bi-district playoff series. The Lady Cavaliers host the first game at 7 p.m. Thursday. Atascocita hosts the second game of the series at 7 p.m. Friday. A third game, if necessary, would be played at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Diamonds at College Park.

Atascocita rides into the series on an eight-game win streak, following its only loss of the season – a 4-3 setback at the hands of Kingwood.