By John Loop
Staff Writer

Dragons aren’t so fierce when they don’t have any fire to breathe, are they?

The Cowgirls were the ones that had the spark to pull out a victory against the hated Southlake Lady Dragons, 8-5.

Junior starting pitcher Alyssa Ringhausen braved a rocky start, giving up three runs in the top of the first inning. Ringhausen recovered to induce two straight flyouts, then struck out the last batter to end the Dragon threat.

“After the first inning, all I was thinking about was what I could do for my team in order to get us back in the game,” Ringhausen said.

The Cowgirls went 1-2-3 in the their half of the the first. Then, in the second inning, Ringhausen shut the Dragons down, then laced the game tying double, driving in juniors Alicia Van Winkle, Alyssa Rusch, and Lora Blackwell.

Van Winkle doubled to start the rally.

“I remember thinking [after I got on base] that if we just focused on getting one hit at a time and continue pressuring the pitcher, we can beat Southlake,” Van Winkle said.

Ringhausen continued to mow down the Southlake bats, and the Dragons’ starter helped the Cowgirls up the score by walking in three runs. An insurance run was tacked on in the latter innings to ensure the victory.

The win not only puts Coppell one win out of a tie for fourth place in district play, but also gives the Cowirls major bragging rights.

“[This] game was our most important game of the year because it determined our fate for the rest of season,” Van Winkle said. “We really wanted to win and I think that was shown when we battled and beat the Dragons. And you can’t forget, it always feels good to beat Southlake!”