The softball team started off the season strong with several wins under their belt.

At the team’s first tournament, the Lady Raiders won the consolation bracket at the Bryan-College Station tournament, Feb. 17-19.

“Even though we started off behind, we managed to never give up and work our way up to the top,” junior Tiffany Birdwell said. “We can do anything.”

The team followed it up with a non-district win over Granger, Feb. 22 and then a 9-2 win over Vandegrift in the district opener, March 1. Tiffany Birdwell went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two homeruns. Morgan Garrett also had her first homerun of the season. Hana Keener went three for five and also got the win in the circle with 13 strikeouts. 

“This was a great start to district,” coach Jamie Southern said. “Everyone was putting the ball in play and scoring runs. Hana did a great job on the mound, striking out 13 Viper batters. With the combination of offense and defense that the team has shown, we will be ready for the challenging district games.”

The team continued their win streak with a strong showing in the Georgetown tournament, March 4-5. The Lady Raiders posted wins over Lockhart, Hays and Hendrickson. The offense scored 23 runs in five games and all three pitchers (Hana Keener, Tiffany Birdwell and Morgan Garrett) received a W for their respective wins. Shelby Abbott and Tiffany Birdwell hit homeruns and Meagan Brooks had a game-winning RBI.

“We started the day by being off our game,” Keener said. “However, we came back later and put it to the other teams winning three out of five games.”

The team continues district play through April 19.