Gunter may have won the coin flip for one game as opposed to a best of three series, but Whitesboro made sure that was the only thing that was lost last week.
The Lady Bearcats pounded 13 hits and limited the Lady Tigers to just one hit in a 17-0 rout last Wednesday in a Class 3A region quarterfinal softball contest at Whitesboro High School. The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
Whitesboro (28-7) will face Queen City in a best of three region semifinal series yesterday, Friday and Saturday at Chisum High School in Paris. Thursdday and Friday’s games start at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday’s game - if needed - will start at 2 p.m.
The Lady Bearcats scored in each inning and all nine players in the lineup recorded a hit. Melanie Baldwin (2-4), Reagan Downs (2-4, 3B, RBI), Bradi Gallaway (2-4, HBP, HR, 4 RBI) and Tylar Olsen (2-3, HBP) led Whitesboro at the plate.
Gallaway scored on a wild pitch in the first and hit an RBI single in the second, while Downs hit an RBI triple to put their team up 3-0. In the third, Keely Hartless hit a two-run single and Gallaway recorded an RBI on a groundout for Whitesboro, who also scored a run on an error in the frame to build a 7-0 lead.
The onslaught continued in the fourth. Maci Graves hit a two-run double, Addi McBride hit a two-run single and Hartless drove in a run with a groundout to make it 12-0.
The Lady Bearcats scored another five runs in the fifth. Two runs came on an error, Hartless drove in another run on a groundout, and Gallaway hit a two-run homerun to cap the scoring.
Graves (1-3, SAC, 2B, 2 RBI), Hartless (1-4, 4 RBI), McBride (1-3, SAC, 5 RBI), Olivia Hildebrand (1-1, 3 BB) and Avery Howerton (1-3, BB) also contributed offensively. Howerton also struck out nine batters and surrendered just one hit.