Lamar State sports information

After three days of the NJCAA Region XIV Softball Tournament, three were left standing.

Galveston College clinched a trip to the NJCAA National Softball Tournament on Sunday afternoon while Bossier Parish Community College and Tyler Junior College will battle it out Monday morning for the second automatic berth as the regional tourney finishes up at Lamar State College Port Arthur’s Martin Field.

Galveston and Tyler worked their way through the winner’s bracket of the four-day tourney, meeting Sunday afternoon to determine who would punch their ticket to Utah and the national tournament later this month. Galveston came away with the 6-5 decision.

Earlier in the day, in two elimination games, Blinn College defeated San Jacinto College 8-3 and Bossier Parish topped Trinity Valley Community College 3-1. Those two winners advanced to the late game Sunday with Bossier Parish getting the 10-2 run-rule victory to advance into today’s final day of play in the double-elimination tournament.

Bossier Parish will play Tyler Junior College at 10 a.m. to earn the right to face the undefeated Galveston College Whitecaps for a chance at the regional tournament title. That game will take place at 12:30 p.m. Should Bossier Parish or Tyler beat Galveston, handing the Whitecaps their first loss of the tournament, a second game would be played at 3 p.m. to determine the final champion.

Galveston 6, Tyler 5

When the No. 5 nationally-ranked Apaches went up 4-0 after three innings, it appeared Tyler would run away with the winner’s bracket. Just as quickly, though, Galveston scored four runs in the third to tie the game.

Tyler came back in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead but, again, the Whitecaps recovered, this time scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning, then holding off the Apaches’ offense down the stretch for the victory.

Kayla Kerr started on the mound for Galveston, working five innings, getting roughed up early by Tyler’s bats for a 4-0 deficit. She finally settled down after her team’s offense got started with its four-run third inning explosion.

Kerr held TJC to just one more run through five innings but once the Whitecaps regained the lead at 6-5 in the bottom half of the fifth, coaches brought in ace Ashley Kreisel to finish the job. She threw two strikeouts and didn’t allow a hit over the final two innings, earning the save.

At the plate, Caylei Allen went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in, while Alyssa Martinez doubled home three runs in the big four-run third.

Tyler had doubles from Briana Paysinger and Courtnie Heller while Shelbi Court slapped a solo home run in going 2 for 2 in the game.

 

Blinn 8, San Jacinto 3

San Jacinto came on strong in the first inning, scoring three runs, but Blinn would have the final word, scoring eight over the fifth and sixth innings, amassing 17 hits to SJC’s seven in the game as San Jac saw its season end in the early game of the day.

Five Buccaneers had multiple base hits in the game with Sydney Gutierrez going 2 for 2 with a three-run home run in Blinn’s game-tying fifth inning. Abby Olejniczak and Morgan Gray each went 3 for 5, while Calli Birch was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Tori Alvarez-Lopez went 2 for 3 for the Bucs.

Kamryn Boucher, who came on in relief after Kassidy Rhoudes was roughed up in the first inning, and finished the final 6 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs with five strikeouts.

San Jacinto leadoff hitter Taylor McHenry was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and Samantha Martinez had an RBI double for the Coyotes.

Michelle Kristoff worked 5.2 innings, allowing 16 hits for seven earned runs with three strikeouts and three walks. Natalie Hoyt pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit.

 

Bossier Parish 3, Trinity Valley 1

Elisa Favela worked a no-hitter into the seventh inning for Bossier Parish and the Cavaliers took advantage of a two-run fielding error early to send TVCC home in the second elimination game Sunday.

Favela was one out into the seventh inning with a no-hitter when TVCC’s Kimberly Abundis singled to break the streak. Destiny Hernandez singled home Savanah Martinez, who had reached earlier in the inning on a walk. Favela survived the TVCC comeback attempt to earn the complete-game win. She finished with six strikeouts, allowing two walks and two hits over seven innings.

Martinez had strong showing on the mound for TVCC, also allowing just two hits and one earned run, striking out four and walking four.

 

Bossier Parish 10, Blinn 2

It appeared a pitching duel was underway when only one run was scored through three innings, a Shelrika Bryant RBI single for Bossier Parish.

Soon, though, the Cavaliers put all thoughts of a close game out of reach as BPCC scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth for an 8-0 lead through four innings.

Blinn tried to make a game of it, scoring two in the top of the fifth, but BPCC matched that with two in the bottom of the sixth to finish the game after six innings.

Dorrie Cormier went 4 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs and Bryant was 3 for 3 with three run-scoring hits in the game.

Kaitlyn Roth worked four innings on the mound for Bossier Parish, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Jenna James worked the final two innings, allowing just one hit with two walks.

Tori Alvarez-Lopez led the Blinn offense, going 1 for 3 with a double, while Callie Birch and Gabriela Gomez each picked up RBI singles.

Meghan Morris threw 3.2 innings before being chased from the mound after allowing four earned runs on eight hits. She had four strikeouts and three walks. Kamryn Boucher allowed two hits in relief.