By DAVID CAMPBELL
HUTTO — Katelyn Francis crunched a two-run homer in the first inning, and the playoff rookies from College Station spent the rest of the game playing like seasoned veterans.
The Lady Cougars opened their best-of-3 Class 3A bi-district softball series with a 5-2 win over Lorena.
“I just hit my pitch, and it felt amazing when it came off the bat,” said Francis, the Lady Cougars’ freshman third baseman. “The best part is when I come home and I know that my team is there yelling at me, saying ‘good job.'”
Francis had an easy swing on ball that soared out of the park.
“Katelyn Francis has been a rock for us all season long,” College Station coach Brandy Gibson said. “With a runner in scoring position, she picks a good pitch to swing at, and it’s a two-run home run, right off the bat.”
College Station (10-15) will try to lock up the series with a win at the same site at 6 p.m. Friday.
Lorena, which shared the District 17-3A championship, dropped to 20-8 on the season, but the Lady Leopards are certain to pitch Kayla Donaldson, who earned all 20 of the team’s victories in the circle. Donaldson had a strikeout in every inning and fanned 11 for the game.
The Lady Cougars two big assists from their outfield at the perfect time to keep the Lady Leopards from scoring in the sixth.
After Beth Baker’s leadoff single, Cheyenne Bell’s soft line drive fell in front of College Station right fielder Alyssa Gregory. She fielded the ball quickly and threw to second to force out Baker. The fielder’s choice was the second time that Gregory robbed Bell of a hit. With a runner at second, Gregory reached high on the run to catch a liner for an out to end the third inning.
College Station center fielder Hanna Polen easily gunned down Mallory Johnson to finish the sixth. Johnson was trying to move from first to third on Mikayla Young’s single.
“Our outfield did an outstanding job,” Gibson said. “They didn’t buckle under the pressure. They stood up to it, and we made amazing catches and threw people out. It was great.”
College Station catcher Alyssa Vega had two hits and scored twice. Her leadoff single in the fourth paid dividends when first baseman Katie Guerrero delivered a two-out double to right.
Vega also singled to open a two-run sixth inning. Her solid hit was followed by a bunt single from Gregory, who pushed the ball into the perfect spot between the pitching circle and first base. Kristen Pursley advanced them both a base with a sacrifice bunt, and Guerrero hit a squibber that turned into an error, allowing Vega and Gregory to score.
Winning pitcher Paige Isbell went to full counts on six of the first seven batters she faced but did not allow a hit until Kelsie Murie’s two-out single in the second. Morgan Payne scored Lorena’s first run on a double steal in the fifth when Lorena shortstop Amber Fuchs got caught in a rundown between first and second.
Payne scored the final run on Alicia Poteet’s single in the seventh, but Vega caught Fuchs’ popup behind the plate to end the game.
College Station 5, Lorena 2
Lorena 000 010 1 — 2 6 1
College Station 200 102 x — 5 6 0
Kayla Donaldson and Cheyenne Bell. Paige Isbell and Alyssa Vega. W — Isbell; L — Donaldson. Next: Game 2 at 6 p.m. Friday with Game 3 to follow, if necessary