By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
(February 16, 2016) — Sophomore pitcher Julia Flores struck out eight Alvarado batters and was 3-for-4 from the plate, but it wasn’t enough as Stephenville lost, 5-4, in a season opener at AHS Monday.
Flores singled then scored on a triple by cleanup hitter Nadine Arredondo in the top of the seventh. A passed ball then brought in Arredondo for the tying run.
But Alvarado would score on a triple, too, and it proved to be the game-winning hit. A walk began the inning before a ground out to second advanced the runner. The one-out triple to left came on the second pitch of the ensuing bat and lifted Alvarado to the victory.
Stephenville committed a pair of errors and surrendered an unearned run earlier in the contest. Flores went the distance in the circle, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits with two walks.
Jennie Winstead, Jessica Howell and Emily Miller had the remained of the eight Stephenville hits. Winstead unloaded a two-run triple to begin the scoring in the top of the second. Emily Miller and Jessica Howell each singled in front of her and scored on the hit to give Stephenville a brief 2-1 lead.
Brief because Alvarado scored three times in the bottom of the third for a 4-2 advantage. That score held until the fireworks in the seventh.
“It was a good game with a lot of situations for us to learn from,” said Stephenville head coach Rus Mayes. “We made some mistakes and had some opportunities, but we have a lot of young girls who are going to keep learning and getting better.”
Stephenville was a bit shorthanded without senior standout Kali Smith, who is still in basketball as the Honeybees begin state playoff action Tuesday.
The softball Bees will spend Thursday through Saturday in the Johnson County Invitational at Cleburne. Their home opener is 7 p.m. next Tuesday, February 23, against Godley.
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