Jaguars pull away from Cowgirls in fifth and sixth innings
April 20, 2023
With the wind blowing through her hair, Coppell sophomore relief pitcher Kayla Shannon was in the sixth inning and knew she would have to be smart and strategic with her pitches. The rest of her team knew they would have to rally against Flower Mound in the next two innings.
The Coppell softball team came up short, 13-6, against Flower Mound on Wednesday at Coppell ISD Baseball/Softball Complex. During the game, it was a somewhat slow start for both teams. After the first inning, however, Flower Mound was first to score in the second inning. Coppell stayed caught up with the Jaguars, almost tying the game.
It was during the sixth inning when things got interesting.
By the end of the fifth inning and going into the sixth, the score was 5-4, Flower Mound. The game would then go on into the sixth inning, the score moving to 9-4, Flower Mound. Up until this point in the game, freshman Kaelyn Smith was in as pitcher. A substitution was then made, bringing in Shannon.
“Anytime you can make a pitching change, that’s always helpful to keep hitters off balance,” Coppell coach Kim LeComte said. “And I think she came in and did a great job.”
The Jaguars were slowed down a bit by this substitution, but they still continued to increase their score. The score during the sixth inning would go on to be 11- 4, Flower Mound.
When it was Coppell’s turn at bat in the sixth inning, the wind was now starting to play a factor in where these balls would go for Flower Mound as well. The balls would be hit in the air towards the center field for a few moments before it would be pushed towards left field and out before it could hit the ground.
But that didn’t stop the Cowgirls. They kept on, making good hits and getting to first base. But some of these good hits would go into the center or left field, being immediately caught by the catchers. Or the ball would make it back to first base before the Cowgirls could get there.
“I think we had a ton of momentum changing moments throughout the game,” LeComte said. “A lot on defense that then led to us covering on offense and getting on base.”
By the time the sixth inning ended, the score was 11-6, Flower Mound still leading. Coppell was able to put up two more runs.
“We need to just clean up a couple of throws there on defense,” LeComte said. “Continuing to score rounds when we have runners on.”
The Cowgirls play Plano next on Friday to close out the season.
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