Honeybees take third in Odessa, resume district Friday

Honeybee softball in Odessa — Courtesy KRISTI MAYES

Flash Staff Report
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(March 8, 2017) — Sami Shaffer belted two home runs and had 5 RBI to lead Stephenville to a 12-5 win over Lubbock Monterrey the third place game of a tournament hosted last weekend by 6A Odessa Permian.

It was Stephenville’s second victory over Lubbock Monterrey, with the Bees winning in pool play, 9-7. But in pool play the Bees were reliant on a Jessica Howell grand slam in a game where they totaled just four hits. In the third-place battle, they had more players than that with base knocks.

Pitcher Julia Flores helped her own cause with two home runs that plated three total runs, Nadine Arredondo was 3-for-4 with three runs, Howell 2-for-3 with a run, Jessica Ebeling 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run, and Bianka Combs went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Stephenville was 6-2 overall in the three day tournament, including a 6-5 victory over Fort Stockton to reach the winner’s bracket semifinals. In a back-and-forth battle, Fort Stockton scored five runs in the fourth and fifth innings before the Honeybees plated four in the top of the sixth.

Morgan DiCiccio was 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored, and Flores was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.

The Bees fell to Odessa Permian, 10-3, to move into the third place game and beat Lubbock Monterrey.

Earlier in the event, Stephenville topped Odessa Permian’s JV, 6-4, while splitting time in the pitcher’s circle between Skye Gaitan and Combs. DiCiccio was 2-for-3 with two runs and Arredondo 2-for-2 with 2 RBI and two runs while Ebeling ripped a 3-run double.

The Bees shut out Colorado City 7-0 behind Flores tossing a shutout and going 3-for-3 with a run and Bowine VanDerGragt going 2-for-2 with an RBI. That victory came after a 5-0 loss to Lubbock High despite Flores going 2-for-2 at the plate.

The Bees opened the tournament last Thursday with a 4-3 win over Monahans, in which all the scoring was done in the first two innings. Monterrey scored three in the top of the first, but Stephenville scored twice in the bottom of that inning and twice again in the bottom of the second.

Howell and Luna had the only RBIs against Monacans. Luna and Gilder had hits.

Stephenville is back to district action on Friday. The Bees are 1-0 in 8-4A competition and host Glen Rose at 7 p.m. at Mccluskey Field.