In what was a tight series where each play could win or lose a game, Little Cypress-Mauriceville won by a run Saturday in the final inning, sending Livingston softball home for 2025.
Wednesday’s contest was also close, with one play plating two Lady Bears for the difference.
“I knew we were going to be super competitive and it was a nailbiter, for sure,” Livingston coach Heather Mosser said. “I started my freshman pitcher, (Raigen) Long. The first hitter was a strikeout, second hitter strikeout, third hitter home run. It looked like it was going to be a really good start for us, and it still was, that was just the kind of team that we were playing. Good teams are going to take advantage of mistakes and that is kind of just what happened.
“(Long) bounced back and got out of that inning. Our bats again were a little bit silent. She got into another bind in the late second or early third, and I had to pull her pretty quick and go back to (Brooke) Anderson (who threw all of Game 1). She came in and did a really good job. The bases were loaded with two outs and she got us out of it without them scoring. It was really just back and forth.”
Tied 3-3 going into the seventh inning, Lady Bear catcher Lexis Moss slugged her second home run of the game on an off-speed pitch.
“The umpire originally called it foul, but only because by the time it landed it hooked on the other side of the foul pole,” Mosser said. “The ball probably landed 100 feet past the fence. When it went over the fence, it was definitely fair, and it was a rocket. She has a massive swing and when she gets a hold of one, it goes.”
The Lady Lion offense could not answer in the bottom half of the inning.
“That was really the story of our series with them,” the coach said. “We would do enough to keep it tight, but we just could not get our bats going. That is not indicative of our season. We played a lot of close games, but we played a lot of blowout games, as well, where our bats were red hot. We just could not get our bats going this weekend.”
Brianna Nelson, Shelby Dickerson Jacie David, and Callie Garcia are preparing to graduate from Livingston High in the coming weeks.
“Overall, they have really blossomed and bloomed over the past couple of years. Each of them led in a different way. They all have their moments in which they have really impacted this program. This is the first program in which I've been somewhere for four years, so I have been with them since freshmen all the way to seniors. Seeing that growth and spending that time with them, I have really grown attached to these kids in ways I haven't before at other programs. I really just think it's because when you spend that much time with the kids, they truly buy in to what you want from them.”
Nelson will continue playing at Navarro Junior college, where she joins former teammate Allison Lytle.
Last year, Livingston made the playoffs with a record of 18-12 and were eliminated in the bi-district round. Growing on that in 2025, they were area finalists with a record of 25-9. Plenty of young contributors stepped into large roles this year and will be counted on to carry the team in 2026.
“LC-M was a better team than us, I'm not going to take that away from them. They were a little more experienced than us and I think defensively they played really well. I have good players to build on, and even though the season is coming to an end, it is very exciting for me moving forward.”
