It took every bit 21 innings and two dramatic come from behind victories, but at the end of the weekend, the Frenship softball team outlasted Odessa Permian in three games to capture the Class 6A area championship and march on in the state playoffs.
Game one on Friday saw the Tigers fall behind 7-0 after Permian batted in the top of the first inning. Frenship slowly chipped away through the rest of the game by scoring in five of the first six innings.
After one run in the first, FHS scored two more in the second. The deficit was cut to 7-3 after K’Leigh Arredondo was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. Destinee Vindiola came in to score on the bases loaded hit by pitch. In the third, an RBI double by Vindiola scored Marissa Mirabal to make it 7-4.
Frenship took their first lead of the game in the sixth. Trailing 8-7, Sam Clark smacked an RBI double to tie the game. A passed ball by the Panther defense allowed the go-ahead run to score.
Permian tied the game at nine in the seventh, but Frenship responded by scoring the winning run. Clarissa Gonzales singled and scored K’Leigh Arredondo to end game one at 10-9.
Gonzales got the win in the circle by allowing only two runs in six innings. Arredondo led the hitting attack by going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
An 8-3 Permian win in game two set up a winner-take-all game three. Again, the Tigers dug an early hole and trailed 5-1 in the second.
But McKaley Johnson stepped up for the Tigers the rest of the way. Johnson hit home runs in both the third and fourth innings to pull FHS back even at six. She finished 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs.
The game would stay tied at six until the bottom of the seventh. A sacrifice fly by Anna Williams scored Johnson and gave the Tigers a 7-6 victory and the series win.
Gonzales was the winning pitcher on the circle for FHS. She struck out six and gave up only four hits in a complete-game performance.
The Tigers advance to the Region I Quarterfinals where they face Arlington Martin. Game 1 is set for Friday, May 15 with first pitch at 3:00 p.m. Game 2 is Saturday, May 16 at noon with game 3 to follow if necessary. All games will be played at Henrietta High School.
CLASS 6A AREA PLAYOFFS
GAME 1
FRENSHIP 10, PERMIAN 9
PHS 700 001 1 – 9 9 4
FHS 121 032 1 – 10 9 3
GAME 2
PERMIAN 8, FRENSHIP 3
FHS 002 001 0 – 3 8 2
PHS 500 210 x – 8 13 1
GAME 3
FRENSHIP 7, PERMIAN 6
PHS 140 100 0 – 6 4 4
FHS 103 200 1 – 7 10 4
CLASS 6A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
FRENSHIP vs ARLINGTON MARTIN
Game 1: Friday, May 15, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, May 16, 12:00 p.m.
Game 3 follows if necessary
*all games at Henrietta High School
