HS Softball: Grand Oaks Flexes in District Opener Through Strong Offensive Showing

SPRING, TX -- The Grand Oaks Lady Grizzlies thrashed the visiting Woodlands Lady Highlanders in a flashy 16-2 display of offensive dominance on Monday night.

Despite originally being scheduled to play on Tuesday, the two squads eagerly entered their respective district openers, hoping to snag an early momentum-builder.

Cold temperatures hung over the Grand Oaks home diamond, but the energy was noticeably high.

With positive energy and a 9-1 win freshly behind them, the Lady Highlanders were the first to strike during their opening in the top of the first.

A lead-off walk from Cassy Trevino got The Woodlands on the base path before teammate Allie Tatum joined her on another walk following a ground-out.

The pair of runners loomed over the Lady Grizzly fielders before solid contact from Gabby Grieco brought both of them home for a two-run RBI single.

A strikeout from Grand Oaks pitcher Kaitlynn Torres ended the brief Lady Highlander scoring run, but the pressure of an immediate 0-2 deficit on the scoreboard played little on the minds of the Grand Oaks players inside the dugout.

In an interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Grand Oaks Head Coach Paula Miller discussed her team’s positive feelings in the face of adversity.

“One of the things I’ve been proud of my girls, even in scrimmages when we got behind, the vibe in the dugout never changed,” explained Miller. “They seem to have a lot of faith that they can work the process and get back into it.”

Grand Oaks’ faith in one another was well-founded as they demonstrated during an impressive hitting performance to capture the game’s momentum.

Ava Butler started the Lady Grizzly parade along the base path by walking on her lead-off at bat. Back-to-back outs following threatened to cut the inning short but composed hitting from the next four straight Grand Oaks batters saw the team fight while down.

Mayce Burkett, Kiley Milligan, and Ella Brown all secured spots on base before joining Butler on the journey back home for a total of four runs secured by Grand Oaks in the bottom of the first. Most notable was a two-run RBI from Amira Abukhzam that punctuated the team’s impressive showing.

Now playing with palpable momentum, the Lady Grizzlies quickly sat down the Lady Highlanders in the tops of the second and third innings in straight fashion. None of the six Woodlands batters faced in the two innings threatened the Grand Oaks lead that was beginning to spiral out of control.

“I was really happy with them, especially with the pitching,” said Miller. “In the past, we’ve had a tendency of getting out on our front foot and lifting everything, and we really worked hard on our timing. They made the adjustments and made them early.”

After Kat Mack was thrown out from her lead-off position, the Lady Grizzlies resumed their strong hitting performance with six more hits during the bottom of the second inning.

Butler rounded the bags for her second straight at-bat along with four other Lady Grizzlies that benefitted from excellent base-running and three steals in the explosive half-inning.

In total, the Lady Grizzlies added another five runs in the top of the second, pushing the Grand Oaks lead to 9-2 with plenty of ball game to be played.

The Woodlands’ three up-three down attack in the top of the third was another display of Grand Oaks’ overwhelming control of the field. Even with a runner on first, the Lady Highlanders failed to reach scoring position, scuttling any chances they may have had in building momentum.

Grand Oaks proceeded to their near-perfect defense into another strong hitting display in the bottom of the third.

The perfect plate discipline from Butler allowed the Lady Grizzly batter to reach first on her second walk in three appearances, teeing up her teammates to bring home another insurance run before the midpoint of the matchup.

A steal and some iffy fielding from the Lady Highlanders made Butler three-for-three on reaching home following an at-bat while pushing the Lady Grizzlies into double digits with a 10-2 lead.

Needing runs before risking the mercy rule, the Lady Highlanders took to the plate in the top of the fourth with their strongest showing since their first-inning flash.

A lead-off double from Reagan McCoy appeared to be the start The Woodlands was looking for, but the next three batters were picked off in rapid succession. A flyout was turned into a Grand Oaks double play before another flyout to centerfield ended another silent half-inning for The Woodlands.

Grand Oaks’ chance to push the envelope for a run-rule game came in the bottom of the fourth where the team took full advantage of the given opportunity.

A full run-through of the lineup saw every Lady Grizzly take an at-bat in a grueling, six-run Grand Oaks outing that sealed the deal before the start of the fifth.

Productive showings from multiple pinch-hitters kept the Lady Grizzlies from skipping a beat on their way to hoisting a game-high seven hits. Even changes to the Lady Highlander pitching failed to stop the Grand Oaks march to an inevitable victory.

The Woodlands response entering the top of the fifth down 16-2 was as limited as they had been in innings prior.

A third three up-three down inning of the game from the Lady Highlanders was enough to slam the door and end the lopsided affair in a dominant 16-2 Grand Oaks win via run rule.

“You can’t ask for much more,” said Miller. “Kids played great this weekend, really came together, had some good bonding, saw a lot of differentiated pitching, so that helped us with timing tonight.”

The Grand Oaks freight train will continue to roll into another tournament over the weekend starting with a matchup against the King Lady Panthers.

Meanwhile, the Lady Highlanders will lick their wounds before turning around and entering a tournament of their own against Klein Oak.

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