By Tom Waddill
Sports Editor
HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville pitcher Hayley Martin followed the game plan to a T. Her head coach handed her the ball Tuesday night and told her to keep the fifth-ranked Brenham Cubettes off the bases.
For four innings Martin did that, but Brenham broke through and scored two runs in the fifth. Cubettes pitcher Kaci Federwisch then kept the Lady Hornets quiet in a 2-0 District 18-4A softball victory over Huntsville at Kate Barr Ross Park.
“We knew we had to keep them off the bases. Unfortunately, one inning that didn’t work and they hung two runs on the board,” Lady Hornets coach Karol K. Smith said.
“We played six innings of great softball — great defense, great pitching and a good game plan,” the coach added. “We just didn’t string enough hits together.”
Brenham (2-0 in 18-4A play, 18-3 overall) broke a scoreless tie when senior shortstop Emily Albus beat out an infield single, stole second and third, then crossed the plate on Shoney Wellman’s dribbler through the right side of the infield.
Jill Sikes, who reached on an error, scored later on a sharply hit grounder to second by Jacy Lee.
Huntsville tried to answer in the bottom of the fifth, but Albus cut down courtesy runner Charlene Cannon at the plate for the third out. Cannon was trying to score on a double by freshman Alexis Ortiz.
Ortiz tore into a Federwisch pitch, driving it over Linsey Biggers’ head in left. Biggers raced back to the fence, grabbed the ball and chunked it to Albus. Brenham’s two-sport star turned and fired a strike to Sikes behind the plate. The ball was waiting for Cannon as she came down the line.
Huntsville had another chance to score in the sixth. Sophomore shortstop Tori Koerselman (2-for-3) led off with a single to right, then she stole second. Federwisch retired the next three hitters without much trouble, leaving Koerselman stranded on second.
Smith said her team played well enough in the field, and in the circle, to knock off the Cubettes. Huntsville (1-1 in 18-4A play, 7-8 overall) did not do enough with the bats.
“We feel very confident that we’ll be able to make some adjustments and go over there next time and hopefully take care of business,” the Lady Hornets’ rookie head coach said. “Brenham’s a good team.
“I told our girls to hold their heads up. This was not a bad game, it was a good game.”
The Lady Hornets head to Waller on Friday for a 7 p.m. district game.
Hornets win district opener
Senior starter Caleb Smith tossed a complete game and shut down Caney Creek on Tuesday night to lift Huntsville to a 3-2 victory in the Hornets district opener.
Smith struck out 14 Panther batters and allowed only two hits and one walk as Huntsville improved to 4-5 overall this season.
Casey Gattis led the Hornets with two hits. Garrett Nelson ripped a double and Hunter Burson, Grant Sprott, Smith and Ethan Jones all hit safely in the victory.
Huntsville scored in the top of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Caney Creek answered in the sixth to tie the game up, but the Hornets tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
“They never gave up and we kept fighting,” Huntsville head coach Jeff Brumbelow said.
