Lady Gladiators go 4-and-1 in Hillsboro tourney to finish as Consolation Winner
Lillie Perry(9) embodies the fierceness of the 2014 1A Lady Gladiators as they do battle against TAPPS 4A Reicher during the Hillsboro Invitational. (Barry Byers)
Hillsboro — The Lady Gladiators won their first two warmup games on Thursday 9-6 over Lake Worth and 9-2 over Jewitt-Leon.
On Friday, the Lady Gladiators hit a bump in the baseline with Reicher, a TAPPS 4A team out of Waco, who showed why their program has been so successful over the years. Reicher handed Italy their only loss of the tournament 14-3 thanks to their skill swinging the bats.
The Lady Gladiators rallied in their second game on Friday with a 12-2 decision over Trinity Valley. Junior pitcher Madison Washington was on the mound for Italy while Lillie Perry continued her consistent play as catcher.
On Saturday, the Lady Gladiators had a rematch with Lake Worth and, once again, the Lady Gladiators proved their worth with an 11-1 win to claim the Consolation Winner’s plaque presented to head coach Wayne Rowe and his glad gals after the contest.
RBI leaders for the Lady Gladiators through the three bracket games were Jaclynn Lewis-4, Madison Washington-4, Lillie Perry-3, Bailey Eubank-3, K’Breona Davis-3 and Paige Westbrook-3.
Eight separate Lady Gladiators put the ball into play each time they went to the plate (Contact percentage = 1000): April Lusk, Britney Chambers, Lillie Perry, Ashlyn Jacinto, Hannah Washington, Kelsey Nelson, K’Breona Davis and Jaclynn Lewis. As a team unit, the Lady Gladiators had a batting average of .469, “Outstanding!”
Washington has stepped up for the Lady Gladiators and has received plenty of help from her defensive teammates. Junior first baseman Bailey Eubank has been reliable at first base Jaclynn Lewis was solid at shortstop as was April Lusk. Outfielders Britney Chambers, Kelsey Nelson, Hannah Washington and Tara Wallis were constantly at the ready and never rest. Collectively, they backed up each other and the infielders on every play.
K’Breona Davis and Ashlyn Jacinto both had stints as second base and Cassidy Childers was periodically brought in as a pinch runner.
Lone senior Paige Westbrook serves as field general from her third-base command post. In Italy’s final game, It was Westbrook’s gutsy catch and tag at third base that finished off Lake Worth and wrapped up a successful tournament for the Lady Gladiators.
Overall, the Lady Gladiators posted a 4-1 win/loss mark over the course of the three-day tournament with Coach Rowe and assistant coaches Michael Chambers, Johnny Jones and Tina Richards developing a well-rounded squad, stubborn on defense and aggressive on offense.