Lady Badgers dog Burnet
Lampasas 10, Burnet 1
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

Vonzella Underwood

Everything came together Saturday night for the Lady Badger softball team.

They pitched well. They hit well.

They played solid defense.

They were smart on the base paths.

As it usually does, execution in those areas added up to a 10-1 win against rival Burnet at Lady Badger Field. The win kept the Lady Badgers (10-11-1 overall, 1-3 in District 25-4A) from falling to 0-4 in district and limiting their playoff chances.

"They (my teammates) were amazing," LHS starting pitcher Kirby Crow said. "The defense was amazing. The hitting was amazing. Just being in the dugout in a game like this was amazing."

Crow, who had been victimized by shaky defense the past two weeks, allowed four hits and one run in seven innings. She struck out 11, including a stretch of five straight from the final out in the third inning to the first out in the fifth.

"One of the things that has really helped Kirby from last year to this year is that she worked hard in the offseason and gained four more miles per hour on her fastball," LHS coach Chris Gaffney said.

Kirby Crow

"That makes everything she throws break that much harder. But the real key for her is her ability to change speeds and keep hitters offbalance, and her changeup was dirty tonight."

The Lady Badger offense recorded 14 hits and put four crooked numbers on the scoreboard, scoring two runs in the first and sixth innings and three runs in the second and fifth.

LHS third baseman Vonzella Underwood hammered the ball in each of her four at-bats, going 4 for 4 with a double, two runs batted in and three runs scored. Her single over third base in the fifth inning left the bat at a significantly higher rate of velocity than it left pitcher Callie Sellers' hand.

"I just went up there not thinking anything," Underwood said. "I just wanted to hit the ball. I wasn't trying to do too much. I just went up there looking for a single."

Kallen Vann and Marisa Bogart both stepped on home plate twice, and Taryn Brown, Stacey Dickens and Kat Strickland each scored once.

Taylor Holloman and Shelby Wilson each drove in two runs, and Brown, Dickens and Crow each knocked in one.

The Lady Badgers did not commit an official error.

"When Kirby is throwing that well, it just gives us confidence," Underwood said.

The Lady Badgers are scheduled to play two games on the road this week.

They travel to Lake Travis tonight and to Pflugerville Connally on Thursday.