HS Softball Playoffs: Conroe Edges Out Klein Oak in Scrappy Game One Victory

SPRING, TX -- Tough competition and composure pushed the Conroe Tigers to their 16th consecutive win and a 1-0 series lead over the Klein Oak Panthers via an 8-3 victory.

Despite comfortably winning their previous game and the Bi-District title, the Tigers had to prepare for a much tougher opponent in round two. The Panthers were runners-up in the tough 15-6A, and they would be ready to pounce on Conroe’s miscues.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Conroe Head Coach Rachelle Harris discussed how her team did not overlook its Area Round opponent.

“Klein Oak is a great team. We didn’t want to take them lightly in the slightest,” said Harris. “We wanted to go all in, and we knew what we had to do coming in.”

Understanding the assignment got Eva Lantagne and the Tiger defense off the field quickly at the top of the first, with the Panthers putting no runners on base to two Lantagne strikeouts.

Conroe turned this defensive flash into a strong push in the bottom of the inning to bring runners across the plate. All three of the Tigers’ first batters reached first through different means before a strong swing into right field from Addison Mason brought all three across on her way to a triple.

The quick 3-0 Conroe lead was similar in production to the impressive night Mason had in the Bi-District round. But, continued production from the reliable right fielder had become the expectation throughout the season.

“All season, she’s been one of our top offensive players,” explained Harris. “She’s been showing up with so much confidence within her game, and she knows that she’s one of our leaders. She takes that to heart, and she produces every time.”

With the 3-0 cushion at the end of the first, Conroe looked poised to repeat their dominant showing in game one, but the Panthers put on a strong performance that had the Tigers briefly paralyzed.

Steady hitting from the heart of the Klein Oak lineup saw the first chinks in the once impenatrable Conroe armor. A single from Katelyn Havemann got the first Panther runner on board before a RBI double from Jaylah Booker brought her in for a one-run top of the second.

Then, a series of strikeouts and flashy defensive plays from the Panther fielders combined to keep Conroe shut out during the bottom of the second and third innings. Even with the reliable Tiger bats swinging, they failed to make contact with the incoming throws.

Meanwhile, Klein Oak tacked on their second run in the top of the third to bring the game within one run of a tie. The Panthers had a chance to steal the lead, but a sacrifice play to bring the run in was followed by a Lantagne strikeout that stranded two Panther runners.

With the Panthers threatening a tie, the bats started to return for the Tigers as the game entered the bottom of the fourth. A single with one out from Maliyah Harrison restarted the Conroe hitting momentarily, leading to a RBI double from Kaylee Chatman that brought her home to push the lead back to two.

Conroe scored this run alongside a handful of impressive plays on defense that reestablished a bit of breathing room for the 13-6A champions.

Back-to-back innings of unproductive at-bats from Klein Oak in the fourth and fifth meant the team was entering the final frames slightly cold at the plate and with a 2-4 deficit.

But when hope seemed lost for the Panthers, another short spurt of hitting rebuilt the tension. One-out hitting from Morgan Sanchez saw her reach first in the top of the sixth before uncharacteristic errors from the Conroe infield ushered the runner along for Klein Oak’s third run of the game.

The Tigers were fortunate enough to evade another tie attempt by making athletic plays that stranded two more Panther runners, but a concentrated push would need to happen to secure a comfortable lead before the start of the seventh.

Luckily for Conroe, their strongest hitting performance of the night came just ahead of the final inning.

Wear-and-tear on the Klein Oak fielders meant that sloppy play was frequent in the bottom of the sixth. Issues fielding fly-balls had hurt the team in innings past, but a series of errors, walks, and hit batters led to four runs coming across for the Tigers.

Most costly was a two-run RBI from Alissa Sneed that was followed by an error on a Mason infield fly to secure the fourth and final run of the Conroe onslaught.

“In the bottom of the sixth, they knew they had to push,” said Harris on her team’s mindset. “They knew we didn’t have enough at that time, and we wanted to be sure to get that insurance, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Sneed and Mason’s swinging under the pressure was instrumental in building an 8-3 lead for Conroe heading into the final frame.

With noticeable momentum and a rowdy crowd traveling to Grand Oaks to support them, the Tigers handled business in the top of the seventh to end the game without further heart attacks.

“The support is how we are fueled,” said Harris. “Just seeing principals, teachers, family, or even other schools coming to support is what the community is all about. That’s why we have to go all in on every single game day. Just to know that we have their back and they have ours.”

Three straight Klein Oak batters led to three straight outs in a silent top of the seventh to end the game in an 8-3 win for the Conroe Tigers.

With the victory in hand, Harris and the rest of the coaching staff can prepare for game two with a chance to end the series in a clean sweep.

“We just have to dot the I’s and cross the T’s,” said Harris. “We have to be sure that we are prepared for every single type of play, every single type of at-bat, and I think we’ll be okay.”

Game two of the Area Round series will take place at Grand Oaks High School, with the first pitch set for 6:00 P.M.