After an unconventional start to the 2A West Regional Softball Tournament, the Mansfield Lady Tigers not only carried on to earn a seat at State but they made a clean sweep of Regionals to claim champion status. The first round of Regionals was to be played against the Decatur Lady Bulldogs but the Lady Bulldogs forfeited sending Mansfield on to the semifinals. With feet firmly planted, the Lady Tigers, who were next slated to face the Flippin Lady Bobcats, had no intentions of falling from grace. So in doing what the Lady Tigers do best and had done all season long, they left the Lady Bobcats scoreless with a 2-0 final score (thanks to the pitching prowess of Alyson Edwards) and found their spot in the championship round. Making the plays for Mansfield was Edwards who doubled on a line drive advancing Brooklyn Adams home and Adams who passed it forward in the next inning by singling on a line drive allowing Hailey Walker to score a run.
For the conclusion of Regionals, the Lady Tigers took on conference foes, the Acorn Lady Tigers, in a championship battle of top feline. After a painstaking hour and a half rain delay, it was batter up. Both teams stayed ready steady in the first five innings as they played quid pro quo starting the top of the sixth 3-2 Mansfield. But then the ladies in red woke up faster than Sleeping Beauty and delivered 7 big-ticket runs that sent Mansfield over the top with a final score of 10-2 and the title of 2A West Regional Softball Champions. Leading in hits for the Lady Tigers was Adams who handed over 3 along with 2 RBI. Skylynn Harris kept her legs moving faster than Sonic the Hedgehog providing 3 of the 10 runs.
Harlie Fuller picked up a pair of runs and rounding out the total with a single each was Alexis Chestine, Chloe Creekmore, Kiara Thomas, Cole Smith, and Serenity Brunson. With 21 putouts, Harris along with Creekmore supplied 11 and 8 respectively. The Mansfield Lady Tigers will enter into the State Tournament with a 15-4 total play record. The Lady Tigers will play their first round of State at Carlisle against Fordyce on Thursday, May 13 at 3 pm.
Photos courtesy of Crystal Thomas
