It is tough to highlight a single reason why the Mineola Lady Jackets defeated the visiting Grand Saline Lady Indians 4-3 last Tuesday in a key district matchup. Was it a series of keen defensive plays in the field, the strong arm and constitution of pitcher Jadelyn Marshall, or the ability of the Lady Jackets to put the bat on the ball? It was all three.

Let’s start with defense. The Lady Jackets committed no errors in the field. In scholastic softball, that is likely the number one indicator of success.

Several defensive plays stood out. In the third, the Lady Indians were rallying and had already put two runs on the board. They had two runners on with one out when the Lady Jackets managed a double play, tagging one runner out between third and home and a second between third and second. 

In the fourth, shortstop Kaitlyn McMahon made a leaping grab of a line drive behind second base, on a ball that no one in the stands thought she could get to. 

Right-fielder Lesleigh Read made the play of the game in the sixth. She charged a hard-hit line drive which was tallying away from her toward the right field line. She laid out for the ball and made the catch. 

To wrap the game up in the seventh, Kali Chrietzberg beat a baserunner to third base after fielding a slow roller for the first out. 

She and shortstop Kaitlyn McMahon then teamed up for a game-ending double play. McMahon speared a line drive and made a perfect throw to Chrietzberg to beat the runner back to third. 

It was a proud game for the Lady Jackets. There is no greater compliment to a pitcher than to have the team behind her making great plays in the field. On a night that the team honored Marshall for recording 500 strike-outs in her pitching career, Marhsall added 10 strike-outs to that total. 

Marshall’s pitching effectiveness comes from her consistency and location… location … location. She spread six hits over seven innings and gave up three free passes, along with those 10 K’s. 

The Lady Jackets managed nine base hits on the night from the bats of seven hitters.  

Their run production came in the first, when Caroline Castleberry led off with a single and, after working her way around the bases, scored when Kaitlyn McMahon lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.

Mineola fell behind 2-1 in the third, but notched three runs in the fifth to retake the lead.

Marshall singled through the right side, and took second on a Read sacrifice bunt. Jorja Young reached on a walk. Castleberry then drove a liner into left field which was misplayed by the Lady Indian outfielder. Grand Saline never had a chance to catch Castleberry once they had to chase the ball down. All three baserunners scored to record the winning runs. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Chrietzberg absolutely scorched a drive to the right-center gap for a stand-up double. Although she was stranded on base, she had obviously regained her hitting stroke. 

Mineola withstood a Grand Saline rally in the seventh for the win.

The next chance to catch the Lady Jackets at home is Friday as they host Eustace.