The Mineola Lady Jackets district softball season commenced last Friday with a wild 12-10 loss to the Winnsboro Lady Red Raiders. The game reminded everyone never to count the 2021 Lady Jackets out of a game. Folks attending were also reminded to bring comfortable seating. 

The game was 4-3 after five completed innings. The early innings were dominated by a series of notable defensive plays. In the first, Mineola catcher Jaycee Smith gunned down a runner at second to close the top half. 

In the third, with Winnsboro up 2-0 and a Lady Raider on second base, Mineola rightfielder Alana Galaz made a beautiful running catch in the right-center field gap. She got a great jump on the ball and speared the catch over her left shoulder, ending a Winnsboro rally. 

Two innings later, it was a snap throw from Smith to first which caught a Winnsboro runner in a pickle between first and second. The play enticed the Lady Raider on second to head for third base. She was called out after a nice throw from Lauren Simmons to Brittany Pickle.

Winnsboro went up 4-1 in the top of the fifth. It was yet another defensive play which brought the Winnsboro rally to a quick close. With a Red Raider on second, Smith made a snap throw to second after a pitch. The throw deflected off second base into center field. The Winnsboro runner was then cut down while reaching for third.     

Despite Mineola’s defensive efforts, Winnsboro seemed to have the contest well in hand. The Red Raiders were hitting the ball hard and had already tallied 11 base hits against Mineola starter Kayleigh Thompson. Conversely Mineola had managed only six base hits, two of which were infield hits.  Mineola’s sole run had come from an Alyssa Lankford RBI single in the bottom of the third. 

A two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth changed the game.

With Simmons on second, Lankford beat out an infield hit, putting runners at the corners. Lankford then stole second. Galaz came to the plate and worked the appearance to a 3-1 count. She uncoiled on the next pitch to drive a deep ball over the head of the Winnsboro leftfielder. Galaz was looking for a triple the whole way, and she chased two runs home to close the score to 4-3.

Galaz’s hit seemed to unleash both offensives. Winnsboro put up six runs in the top of the sixth. Mineola batted around in the bottom half and put up four of their own.

The visitors added more in the seventh with a two-run home run. Down 12-7 going into the last half of the seventh, Mineola needed baserunners. Seven Lady Jackets reached base in the inning, but Mineola could push only three runs across. The last rally came up short.

Each game reveals something new about the Lady Jackets. Last Friday it was the combined work of the outfield – leftfielder Lankford, centerfielder Aguirre, rightfielder Galaz – which proved their fielding prowess. 

Several Lady Jackets are starting their district campaign on a hitting hot streak. Against strong Winnsboro pitching Aguirre went 3-5, Simmons and Lankford 3-4 and Galaz 2-4. Additionally, Emily Wiley produced a 2-run triple in the bottom of the seventh. 

After hosting Winona Tuesday, and traveling to Harmony Friday, the next opportunity to see the Mineola softball side is Tuesday, March 23 at home against Quitman.