Pictured: Haley McAlexander (5) scoring one of her five runs on the day.
By: Justin Hargrove, Assistant Athletic Director
Northeast Texas Community College hosted the Southern Arkansas Community College Stars in softball action on March 4, 2023 and came away with two run rule victories. Game won saw the Eagles take down the Stars 10-2 and game two NTCC also put up ten runs in an 10-1 win over Southern Arkansas CC.
Braylynn Henderson (West Columbia, Texas) once again pitched a great game giving up just two runs on five hits, five strikeouts, and zero walks in five innings of work.
Offensively for the Eagles, NTCC got things going in the bottom of the second sending 8 batters to the plate and scoring three runs to take an early 3-0 lead. Raelyn Kinard (Lake Jackson, Texas) got things started with a single to left field and would be joined on the bases by Kailey Hancock (Pollock, Texas) and Jalissa Alvarez (Mount Pleasant, Texas) and they would all eventually score in the inning.
The third inning, NTCC added one more run when Carson Zachry (Mount Pleasant, Texas) led off with a walk and later scored on a double by Hancock to lead 4-0. The Stars would get on the board in the top of the fourth with a lead off triple that would score on a Sac Fly to Center, but that would be the only offense that inning that they could scrap together.
Leading 4-1, NTCC answered back in the bottom of the fourth, adding three more runs to bring the lead to 7-1. Giselle Fuentes (Lacissine, LA) lead off with a single to right-center field, then Haley McAlexander (New Boston, Texas) followed her with a walk. Hannah Boettcher (Valley Mills, Texas) doubled to score both Fuentes and McAlexander. Hannah would come into score in the inning as well on a Sacrifice Fly to deep Center by Lily Galaviz (Denton, Texas).
The Stars would add one more run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 7-2, but NTCC would get three runs in their half of the fifth to end the game early with the eight-run rule in effect.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Victoria Giganti (Salado, Texas) would come in for the Eagles and lead off with a single. McAlexander singled to join her on the bases. Boettcher would ground out to first, but Giganti would score to bring the lead to 8-2. A hit by the pitch on Zachry would put another Eagle on base and the game ended when Kinard singled to score both McAlexander and Zachry.
Game two of the series also saw another great offensive showing and pitching by the Eagles. NTCC would pound out double digit hits with 10 to go along with four walks and a hit by the pitch in the 10-1 win.
Daphne Bogenschutz (White Oak, Texas) was in the circle and go the complete game win with five innings pitched allowing just one run on two hits. She induced eleven pop outs in the game to keep the Stars off the bases for the most part.
McAlexander would go one for two with two walks and three runs scored in the leadoff spot for NTCC to help pace them to victory in game two. Haley would lead off with a walk and use her speed to get into scoring position and give the Eagles and early 1-0 lead.
The Stars scored in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1 but that would be the only run they managed in game two. NTCC put up two runs in the bottom of the second to never look back after going ahead 3-1. Giselle Fuentes would double with one out and McAlexander picked up walk number two of the game and would both score on a double by the catcher Boettcher.
The Eagles had a big third inning with four runs scored to stretch the lead to 7-1. After Lily Galaviz and Kailey Hancock reached base, Skylar Liebrecht (Lakewood, CA) would double to plate both runners. McAlexander would then single and come home on another Boettcher double to score her and Liebrecht.
The bottom of the fourth, NTCC would put the nail in the coffin when Kinard would lead off with a walk, followed by Galaviz reaching on an error, setting up Hancock to hit a three-run homerun to left field.
Bogenschutz would induce one final ground out to second base to end the game after the top of the fifth with NTCC leading 10-1.
