Champion softball coach Sara Cammer said any trip to Greyhound field is special for her because it was where she played her high school ball and helped the 2007 Boerne team win the 4A state softball title.
Last Thursday’s trip to BHS was even more special to Cammer because the Lady Chargers picked up their first ever win against the Greyhounds since they started playing last year.
Champion won Thursday’s contest, 5-1, and Cammer said they were solid in all phases.
“That’s been one of our better games this season. We had no errors for the first time in a long time,” she said. “It is a big game for us and being able to come in and do what we’re supposed to do is huge. All credit goes to the girls because they did an amazing job.”
BHS had a better record coming in but head coach Chester Pettibon said the rivalry between the two schools is unpredictable and added that you can throw out the records when the Chargers play the Greyhounds.
“We didn’t talk about the rivalry but it’s in the back of everybody’s mind, we know it’s a rivalry,” he said. “They were eventually going to beat us, and they finally got us this time.”
Both BISD teams are on the outside looking in at this point as far as the playoff picture. BHS slips to 5-8 in district (14-8 overall) and the Chargers are 4-8 in league play (9-10 overall).
Boerne is in sixth place and the Chargers are in seventh in the standings. Both teams basically need to win out and get some help to have a chance at the postseason.
BHS has three games left and visits Alamo Heights Tuesday. They have Pieper and New Braunfels remaining on the schedule.
Champion has four left and hosted Pieper on Tuesday. They have New Braunfels, Wagner and Kerrville Tivy after that.
The most wins either BISD could finish with in district is 8, but Tivy is in fourth place at 7-5 so two more wins by the Antlers will wrap up the last playoff spot up for grabs in 26-5A behind Smithson Valley (11-1), Veterans Memorial (11-2) and Pieper (9-4).
Champion is the only team that has defeated Smithson Valley in district play this year, and Cammer said she used that as motivation going into Friday.
“I told them that we beat Smithson Valley for the first time in program history this year and we had a chance to beat Boerne for the first time in program history,” she said.
The talk must have worked because the Chargers hit two home runs against the Greyhounds. Aidan Kavanagh hit her first of the year in the fifth on a solo shot and Brylyn Thornburgh followed with a solo homer in the sixth to make it 5-1.
BHS made it interesting in the bottom of the sixth and got on the board after Riley Partin singled and scored on a Kenley Thomason single to make it 5-1.
A passed ball put runners at second and third base with only one out, but Thornburgh snagged a line drive at shortstop for the second out. Champion pitcher Mylie Parker then got the next batter to fly out to left field to end the threat.
The Greyhounds made more noise in the seventh and again put runners at second and third, this time with two outs, but Parker struck out the next batter to close it out.
Cammer said going back to Greyhound Field always brings back a lot of memories.
“The biggest thing is I still get butterflies; it brings back a lot of feelings and emotions,” she said. “The win tonight is one of my top wins as a coach.”
It was so special that afterwards, Cammer was looking for the game ball.
“I kept it to take to my grandpa’s grave,” she said about her grandfather Corky Corcoran, who used to work at the Boerne Star. “Big moments that I have as a coach; I usually go and take it to him.”
Parker went all 7 innings and struck out 7 batters to get the win. She walked 3 and only gave up 1 run, while Micah Bellamy threw all 7 innings and struck out 7 as well.
BHS finished with 7 hits from 7 different players, while Champion was led by the home runs from Kavanagh and Thornburgh, while Thornburgh also doubled.
Torin Tucker doubled, Cora Cude finished with 2 singles and Reese Rogers scored twice.
Comment
Comments