Denison’s clutch hit in 7th lifts Lady Cards past Lady Cats

Published 9:18 pm Friday, April 20, 2018

ORANGEFIELD — Wrapping up a perfect District 22-4A campaign, the Bridge City Lady Cardinals snagged a 2-0 victory over the Orangefield Lady Bobcats Friday night at Lady Bobcat Field.

The game featured stellar performances from standout senior pitchers but it was the Lady Cardinals (25-7-1, 10-0) that had the final answer in the top of the seventh inning when Bridge City third baseman Caitlin Denison roped a two-out , two-run single to centerfield that sealed it.

It wraps up another outstanding district campaign for the Lady Cardinals, who won their 10 district games by outscoring their other five district counterparts 59-4.

The Lady Bobcats (21-9-1, 5-5) will still be heading to the playoffs as well as they wrap up the regular season in a third-place tie with Silsbee as those two will likely play early next week to decide the third and fourth-place postseason seed.

Lady Cardinal pitcher Kassidy Wilbur, like the entire 22-4A season, was in complete control. She allowed just two hits while fanning 13 Lady Bobcats.

Meanwhile, Lady Bobcat pitcher Kaylee Ancelot allowed just four hits, two coming in the seventh. She struck out three and walked five, four of them intentionally to a power-hitting Wilbur.

Lady Cardinal senior second baseman Jalynne Burch got it going in the top of the seventh when she ripped a Ancelot offering to deep centerfield as she barely beat the throw in for a big double.

Ashley Gerrald then put down a nice sacrifice bunt to move courtesy runner Aspen Daniels to third. Wilbur then drew an intentional walk and Abby Anderson followed with a walk to load the bases and Denison delivered the heroics, smacking the two-run single to centerfield.

Wilbur then finished it off with two strikeouts and a groundout to end it.

Bridge City threatened in the top of the first. Wilbur drew a walks and was able to sneak her way all the way to third off an Anderson bunt but Ancelot worked out of it by getting two flyouts.

Lady Bobcat third baseman Ryden Stanfield had a one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the first but Wilbur got out of it with a double play.

Austyn Daniels had a two-out single up the middle in the second but was left stranded.

Ancelot crushed a hard single to left with two outs in bottom of the fourth and went to second on a wild pitch before being stranded.

Lady Cardinal Aleah McClanahan had a single past third in the top of the sixth frame.