SHEPHERD — Friday night turned into an unforgettable district softball battle as the Lady Pirates and the Hamshire-Fannett Lady Longhorns traded momentum for 10 hard-fought innings.
In the end, Hamshire-Fannett managed to push across two runs in the 10th to escape with a 6-5 victory.
Despite the loss, the night belonged to an incredible performance by Isabelle Hooper, who threw 169 pitches across 10 innings, striking out 16 batters while battling one of the district’s strongest lineups pitch after pitch. Shepherd’s offense was powered by Skyleigh Lagow, who delivered a huge night at the plate with two home runs and three runs batted in.
Hamshire-Fannett opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when Brooke Mayer grounded out, allowing a run to cross the plate. The Lady Pirates answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Lagow launched a home run to spark the rally, and Jayci Wilson followed with another blast, giving Shepherd a 3-1 lead and energizing the home crowd.
The game settled into a tense pitching duel as Hooper continued to keep the Longhorns off balance in the circle. Hamshire-Fannett pulled even in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Emily Gallier and an RBI single from Emileigh Droddy, tying the game at 3-3. The Lady Longhorns regained the lead in the sixth inning when a run scored on a dropped third strike, giving Hamshire-Fannett a 4-3 advantage.
But the Lady Pirates were far from finished. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Lagow stepped to the plate and crushed her second home run of the night, sending a deep shot to center field and tying the game at 4-4, forcing extra innings. Both teams battled through the eighth and ninth innings before the Longhorns finally broke through in the 10th. Avery Gallier delivered a clutch triple, driving in a run, and Braelyn Harrison followed with an RBI single, giving Hamshire-Fannett the lead they would not surrender. Lagow added another RBI for Shepherd in the bottom of the inning, but the rally came up just short as the Longhorns secured the 6-5 win.
Defensively, the Lady Pirates were sharp in the field, turning one double play and committing no errors throughout the game.
Shepherd delivered an impressive performance Tuesday night at Tarkington, combining dominant pitching with a strong offensive showing to secure an 11-1 victory over the Lady Longhorns.
Leading the way was Isabelle Hooper, who was nearly untouchable, striking out 13 batters while allowing just one hit and one run over five innings, walking only one batter in the outing.
Shepherd wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. In the top of the first inning, Adison Simpson raced home from third on a tag-up play, giving the Lady Pirates the early lead and setting the tone for the rest of the game.
The Lady Pirates added to the lead in the second inning when Skyleigh Lagow ripped a double down the left-field line, kicking up chalk as the ball stayed fair and drove in two runs.
Shepherd continued to build momentum in the third inning when Caylei Cuadros delivered a clutch single down the right-field line on an 0-2 count, bringing another run across the plate and extending the Pirates’ advantage.
At the plate, Shepherd’s offense stayed aggressive throughout the game, collecting 11 total hits. Jayci Wilson, hitting in the middle of the lineup, led the Lady Pirates with three runs batted in. Adison Simpson, Rylei Brewer, Caylei Cuadros, and Skyleigh Lagow each recorded two hits, helping keep constant pressure on the Tarkington defense.
The Lady Pirates also showed patience at the plate, drawing eight walks during the game. Maci Wilson, Adison Simpson, and Skyleigh Lagow each worked two walks to help fuel the offense.
