HS Softball Playoffs: History And A Deep Playoff Run Continue For The Lady Tigers

WACO, TX -- A late surge in the sixth and seventh innings allowed the Conroe Tigers to bury the Wylie Pirates in a 16-0 hole on Friday to keep the team’s deep playoff run alive through the Regional Semifinal.

Both teams had mutually decided to have the Semifinal series come down to a single game, rather than a best-of-three series. The decision meant that an off game would mean elimination for either team, and it looked like the two squads were evenly matched through the first five.

Neither team mounted any sort of offensive rhythm during the first five innings, including the usually explosive Conroe bats. Players like Addison Mason and Alissa Sneed were held to limited production.

Luckily for the Tigers, their defense stepped up in the absence of their expected hitting. Adjusting on the fly to suit the team’s needs had been a strength of Conroe’s during regular season play and in the team’s recent series win over Klein Oak.

Lantagne gave up just three hits through the full seven innings, a testament to her reliability on the mound and the Tigers' strength of defense.

Relying on the stellar pitching of Eva Lantagne and the decisive fielders allowed Conroe to keep the Pirates at bay while trying to find the groove at the plate.

A scoreless tie was a testament to the impressive defensive play for both teams, with Wylie drastically stepping up their play to match one of the best programs in Texas. However, Wylie’s magic was soon to run out as the teams entered the top of the sixth.

With the Tigers up to bat in the top of the sixth inning, the strength of hitting finally came alive.

McKenna Griffin was the first player to round the bags for either team, hitting a solo home run to right to break the scoreless tie. The floodgates opened following the Griffin homer, with the Tigers tallying six runs in half an inning to finally create distance on the scoreboard.

Pitching substitutions from the Pirate coaching staff tried to stop the bleeding before it became a Tiger runaway. But the change worsened the situation by bringing in a fresh arm against the ravenous Conroe bats.

Loading the bases and scoring runs was a regular occurrence in the top of the seventh for the Tigers, with 10 coming home. A home run from Lantagne, RBIs from Griffin and Kylee Davis, and a grand slam from Sneed combined to create the strongest offensive showing for the Tigers since their Bi-District win against Nimitz.

The dust finally settled for the Tigers to play some late defense in the bottom of the seventh, but a 16-0 lead was more than enough cushion for the Conroe fielders to get their three outs.

Conroe’s 16-0 win keeps a historically deep run going for the 12th-ranked team in the state, with the Regional Finals awaiting the only remaining representatives from 13-6A.

Awaiting the Tigers are the Midway Panthers, who eliminated the Oak Ridge War Eagles in their Regional Semi matchup by a two-game-to-none sweep.

The Regional Finals matchup will be a battle of strength against strength, with both programs sitting as highly ranked squads in the state of Texas. But a willingness to adjust and play to what is helping the team in the moment will be a key to success for the Tigers as they look to keep the dream of a state championship alive.

*Special thanks to Mr. Cisneros for game statistics.*