Lee’s Work in the Sixth Inning of Nightcap Lifts AC
For the better part of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Angelina College hitters seemed intent on providing the Navarro Lady Bulldogs with highlight-reel material – for the Lady Bulldogs.
Seemingly every ball off an AC bat ended up with a Navarro player making a spectacular play. Twice the Lady Bulldogs climbed the outfield wall to pull back potential homers, and on several occasions, diving catches killed possible Lady ‘Runner hits.
When the bats broke through and the breaks changed direction, the Lady Roadrunners – who earlier in the day hit the NJCAA national polls ranked No. 10 – rediscovered their groove.
Bryli Lee doubled home the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning of the nightcap and then scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Kayla Boucher added an insurance run with an RBI double to give the Lady Roadrunners a 6-4 win after dropping the opener 7-1.
Lee finished the late game with two doubles, a single and two RBI. Boucher drove in two runs with the late double and a third-inning single.
With AC trailing 4-3 heading into the sixth, Kali Holcomb reached base on a one-out single – her second hit of the game. Lee then blasted a ball inches from the top of the wall to score Holcomb from first. Lee moved to third on a passed ball and then scored on a wild pitch, and Boucher polished off the win with a double to right field to score pinch runner Shawneece Jones.
Whitney Howerton earned the win after relieving starter Taylor Odom. Howerton pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings, allowing a single walk and recording the final out by snagging a line drive up the middle. Howerton and catcher Heather Kulhanek teamed up to stop a Navarro run in the top of the sixth when Kulhanek fielded a back bounce off a wild pitch and tossed to Howerton, who tagged runner Jaclyn Kresta before she could score.
Earlier, Navarro pitchers Katelyn Cooper and Stephanie Buenrostro teamed up to confound AC batters, with the two hurlers combining for a two-hitter in Navarro’s 7-1 win.
The Lady Roadrunners (25-10, 6-2) will play at Tyler College on Saturday. Game time for the first game of the doubleheader is 1 p.m.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
