PLAINVIEW – The Floydada Lady Winds are moving on to the next round in the UIL softball playoffs as they beat the Clarendon Lady Broncos in a Friday double-header 13-3 and 9-2.
The series sweep now advances Floydada (32-3-1) to the Region semifinals to face off with the defending 2A State Champion Stamford Lady Bulldogs (22-4).
The two will play at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Big Spring, with game 2 set for 10:00 a.m. Saturday. If necessary, game 3 will follow 30 minutes later.
The games will be played at Big Spring High School’s softball field across from the city’s YMCA and Big Spring High School along Goliad Street. Tickets will be $3 and $5 for adults, and lawn chairs are allowed.
Stamford beat the Haskell Maidens 16-6 in a single game playoff. This is the second time in school history that Floydada has played in the fourth round of softball playoffs, the last being in 2019 when the Lady Winds team fell to the Archer City Lady Wildcats.
GAME 1
Clarendon drew first blood in the double-header by scoring a run in the first inning, but the Lady
Winds answered in a big way with 10-unanswered runs with four in the second, one in the third and five more runs in the fifth inning. Floydada ended the game in the sixth frame by a 13-3 score and outslugged by a 17-7 margin hits for the game.
Senior Celese Wickware hit a solo homerun to ignite the five run fifth frame when the Lady Winds
sent 10-batters to the plate that produced five hits. Kailee Sanchez followed the homer with a double that fueled the fire for Floydada’s biggest outburst of Game 1.
Clari Delafuente hit a pair of doubles and hustled out a triple that drove in a team high three RBI for the game, while Sanchez crossed home plate three times to be the top scorer.
GAME 1
FLOY – 0 4 1 5 2 1 – 13 17 1
CLAR – 1 0 0 1 1 0 – 3 6 3
WP – Erin Trevino (29-2), LP – Tandie Cummins (4-2)
records: Floydada (31-3), Clarendon (16-4)
HR – (FLO) Celese Wickware
Triples – (FLO) Clari Delafuente, (CLAR) T. Cummins
Doubles – (FLO) Delafuente (2), Kailee Sanchez, (CLAR) Avery Sawyer, Haden Elan
GAME 2
Delafuente started the second game by getting aboard with an error throw to first base by the
Clarendon shortstop. The ball rolled all the way to deep right field, and the speeding lead-off hitter Delafuente rounded the bases to give a Floydada a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Lady Winds in the second frame broke the game wide open by scoring seven runs on six-hits that
included a two RBI double from Wickware and a two run producing triple by Marissa Obregon. In the
fourth frame, Erin Trevino led off the fourth inning with a solo shot over the left field fence for
Floydada’s second home run of the series.
Sophomore first baseman Analise Perez was inolved in a pair of double-plays in Game 2. Perez
caught a pop fly near the bag and tagged out Clarendon runner Jentry Bellar caught off the bag. The
second defensive gem was when Wickware fielded a grounder cleanly at third base and threw out a runner at first base, then Perez immediately threw to home plate where catcher Obregon tagged Bellar trying to score from third base. For the series Perez caught a pair of foul ball pop-ups for outs in addition to the pair of defensive putouts.
Trevino was the winning pitcher for both games by firing nine strikeouts in Game 1 and six more K’s
in the nightcap. Trevino improved her season record to 30-2 on the season with 243-K’s. In her post game interview Trevino talked about her home run first, followed by her pitching performance; while Wickware preferred to talk about her defense at third base for starters and then her home run. They both bragged on their teammates for their hitting and defensive contributions.
Assistant coach Bethany Morales summed up the win by saying, “this is the best we have played this season. Our hitting continually hit the gaps of Clarendon’s defense, and the Lady Winds defense was nearly flawless in the two wins. This was a great day. ”
GAME 2
CLAR – 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 – 2 7 2
FLOY – 1 7 0 1 0 0 x – 9 9 3
WP – Erin Trevino (30-2), LP – Kennadie Cummins (5-3)
records: Floydada (32-3), Clarendon (16-5)
HR – (FLO) C. Wickware
Triple – (FLO) Obregon
Doubles – (FLO) C. Wickware, Delafuente (CLAR) Jentry Bellar
