Lady Chargers tripped up by Unicorns but still in playoff hunt

Despite last Friday’s 16-5 setback to New Braunfels, the Champion Charger softball team still has a chance at a playoff spot.

Champion is 7-10 overall and 5-9 in district. The Chargers close out the regular this week and visited Wagner on Tuesday and host Kerrville Tivy on Thursday.

Alamo Heights (6-8), Boerne High (5-9), Champion (5-9) and Kerrville Tivy (7-7) are all fighting for the last postseason spot up for grabs in 26-5A, so this should be an interesting week.

There’s a chance all four of the teams listed above could finish with 7 wins to create a 4-way tie for fourth place.

Smithson Valley (14-0), Veterans Memorial (12-2) and New Braunfels (10-4) have already claimed the top three spots in the district.

In last Friday’s game in Boerne, the Unicorns were up 13-0 before the Chargers could get on the board. Champion came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth and needed to score at least 4 runs to fend off the mercy rule and was able to do it that inning.

The Chargers loaded the bases and then Anna Hurst was hit by a pitch to bring in their first run of the game. With two outs, an Abby Brehmer single, followed by a Lilly Ritchie double, pushed in 4 more runs and it was 13-5 before the Unicorns ended the inning.

But Champion wasn’t able to hold off New Braunfels much longer. The Unicorns loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and eventually brought in 3 runs to make it 16-5.

The Chargers needed to score at least 2 runs in the bottom of the frame to keep playing but went down in order, and it ended there.

Champion had 4 hits in the game, the double by Ritchie, and singles from Torin Tucker, Brehmer and Reese Rogers. Tucker, Hurst, Brehmer, Rogers and Bella Mamadaliyev all scored once.

Mylie Parker tossed 3.1 innings and scattered 7 hits, gave up 6 earned runs and struck out 3.

Hurst went the final 2.2 innings in the circle to close it out and yielded 4 hits and 4 earned runs.

The Charger pitchers gave up a combined 10 walks, but 4 of those were intentional walks to Unicorn shortstop and Utah signee Izzy Cruz.

NOTES: The Boerne High softball team was off Friday and closes out the season with a road trip to Pieper on Tuesday and will be home Thursday to host New Braunfels.