March 5, 2019 - The Lady Riders battled back and forth in the Texas-Two-Step Tournament held at Lear Park in Longview. They brought home 4 wins out of 6 total played and a third place overall. Most of the wins were attributed to a great offensive game and strong defense.
In each game played, one of the Lady Riders led in total hits and RBIs. The Lady Riders put in play a total of 53 hits and 39 RBIs in the six games played. The leading hitter for the Riders was Kalei LaRock with 3 hits against Paul Pewitt and a tying 1 hit with Olivia Johnson and Tatum Mettauer against Edgewood. LaRock and Katelyn Bolton tied with most RBIs with a total of 5 each.
The Lady Rider defense was very strong against all of the opponents played. Makaiya Hubbard shut down multiple opponents with 34 strike outs in four games. Jasmine Cooks came in strong with 4 strike outs. Cooks shut down the Jefferson offense in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings. She surrendered only one run early in the 2nd inning, with no runs after.
During the game against Quitman the Lady Riders racked up ten hits on the day. Katelyn Bolton, Kalei LaRock and Makaiya Hubbard each managed multiple hits for the Lady Riders. Bolton led the Lady Riders with three hits in four at bats.
The Lady Riders blew out Tatum 12-4 on Friday. Tatum got things moving in the first inning. Tatum scored one run when K. Terry singled. In the top of the second inning, the Lady Riders tied things up at one. Taylor Burch doubled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run. Lady Riders pulled away for good with three runs in the third inning. In the third Katelyn Bolton doubled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run. An error scored one run for Lady Riders. S. Thacker induced Jennifer Almaguer to hit into a fielder's choice, but one run scored. The Lady Riders put up five runs in the fifth inning. The offensive firepower by the Riders was led by Tatum Mettauer, Olivia Johnson, Katelyn Bolton, Kalei LaRock and Taylor Horton, all driving in runs in the inning.
Against Texas High, the Lady Riders had nine hits in the game. Makaiya Hubbard and Tatum Mettauer both had multiple hits for the Lady Riders. Hubbard went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Lady Riders in hits. Unfortunately, the Lady Riders were unable to pull back ahead and lost their first game in the tournament.
To start Saturday, the Lady Riders took another loss in a very close battle with Edgewood. Both teams were strong on the mound, but Edgewood was just a little bit stronger at the plate in a 5-3 victory over the Lady Riders. Jasmine Cooks started the game for Lady Riders and recorded 12 outs. The Lady Riders lost despite out-hitting Edgewood five to four.
The Lady Riders dropped one home run in the game. Katelyn Bolton had a homer in the third inning. Olivia Johnson, Tatum Mettauer, Katelyn Bolton, Kalei LaRock and Jennifer Almaguer all had one hit to lead the Lady Riders.
The Lady Riders didn't commit a single error in the field with a near perfect defense in a tough game. Taylor Horton had three chances in the field, the most on the team.
The final game on Saturday against Jefferson was an offensive runaway. The Lady Riders pulled ahead with five runs in the third inning. In the third, Olivia Johnson drew a walk, scoring one run. Bolton singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run, and LaRock doubled on a 0-2 count, scoring three runs. Six runs in the fourth inning led the Lady Riders past Jefferson 11-1 on Saturday. The offensive onslaught came from a walk by Katelyn Bolton, a single by Tatum Mettauer and an error on a ball put in play by Kalei LaRock. In a dramatic finish, the Lady Riders stayed strong on the mound and played a solid offense with only one error in the field all game.
