Varsity softball finishes fourth, advances to playoffs

Raiders make playoffs for third year in a row

Lexi+Shafer+pitches+in+the+Pflugerville+game%2C+April+1.+The+Raiders+won+the+second+round+district+game%2C+3-2.

Photo by Erika Zaragoza

Lexi Shafer pitches in the Pflugerville game, April 1. The Raiders won the second round district game, 3-2.

Allie Loynes, Rumbler Staffer

The varsity softball team finished fourth in district and advanced to playoffs for the third consecutive year.

“It’s awesome making playoffs for the third year in a row,” junior Briyana Poole said. “It’s very accomplishing knowing that you keep making it year after year. I felt better in district play, I played a lot better than the last two years.”

After the first round of district play, the team was 5-2 and tied for second place.

“In district play we came out really strong in the beginning in the first round,” head coach Lacey Blissit said. “Second round we took a couple of hits, but we were able to stay focused through the end of this season and our district is pretty strong.”

In the second round, the team beat Pflugerville, McNeil and Stony Point, but dropped games to Westwood, Round Rock, Cedar Ridge and Hendrickson. The 8-6 district finish put the Raiders in fourth place, taking the final playoff spot.

Baylee Pearce comes up to bat in the Hendrickson game.
Photo by Jules Kasper
Baylee Pearce comes up to bat in the Hendrickson game.

“The second round was a lot better than the first round,” Poole said. “We just came together as a team at the end and it was a good feeling.”

The team faces Bowie tomorrow in the first round. They’ll play at 6:30 p.m. at Noack softball field, near the LBJ campus for the bi-district game.

“They’ve done a really great job of coming together as a team,” Blissit said. “Even working through the adversity that we’ve dealt with, the girls have worked really hard all season, we have put a lot of work in as we always do, and it’s paying off with us earning a position in playoffs. I’m really excited for the girls and I know they’re really excited.”