SINTON - Lady Cardinals softball has been showing their postseason poise and put it on display May 17 at Sinton ISD Field in Sinton as they beat Ly- ford High School by a final score of 4-2.
Columbus was able to put runs on the board, but it was their defense in crunch time that propelled them to a win.
“It all starts with Karlee Mathis,” said Columbus head softball coach Alfred Rosa.
“Multiple hits. Shut them down when we needed to. She’s an absolute competitor and she won this game for us today.”
Columbus senior pitcher Karlee Mathis put the bat on the ball when it mattered most and was also able to close the game out on the mound in a close one.
“Defensively, I have a lot of confidence because I know my teammates have my back,” Mathis said. “I go up there knowing we’re gonna get three outs and we’re not gonna have to worry about anything. We were a little sloppy a couple times, but we got out of it because that’s what we do. Hitting, I’ve just been seeing the ball really well. Been trying to hit off the tee. That’s been helping a lot.”
The Lady Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when sophomore Kaylea Foster knocked a base hit to send in a run after a double. A sacrifice fly from Columbus in the top of the third inning put them ahead 3-1, which was followed by a stolen base at home by sophomore Katlyn Torres after a wild pitch to make it 4-1. With a walk, a sto- len base, and a couple infield hits from Lyford in the bottom of the third inning, they scored their fi nal run. After a ground out and a base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning from Lyford, Mathis proceeded to strike out the final two batters en route to a 4-2 victory. The Lady Cardinals started off their first ever trip to the Region al Finals against Hallettsville on May 22 in Hallettsville. They will play Hallettsville again in Game 2 Saturday, May 25 at 4 p.m. at the CHS softball field at 175 May St. in Columbus. If necessary, Game 3 will be played 30 minutes after Game 2.
