High school softball bi-district roundup: See results, more from Fort Worth-area teams

The UIL softball bi-district round is here, and teams around the Fort Worth-area started their 2024 playoff runs.

Here is a roundup of games from schools in the Fort Worth-area.

Late three-run homer by Paschal stuns Keller

Fort Worth Paschal catcher Samantha Garcia hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over Keller in Game 1 of their Class 6A bi-district softball series at Saginaw High School.

Paschal (20-15), the fourth seed out of District 3-6A, had been through a gauntlet just to make the playoffs so facing 4-6A top-seed Keller didn’t faze the Panthers.

“We’ve been here before,” said Paschal coach Sarah Dokie-Reyes, whose team had dramatic, must-win victories just to reach the post season. “Our last two weeks have just been pressure filled. These girls just don’t give up and their resiliency is just amazing.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. back at Saginaw High with Game 3, if necessary, slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday at Saginaw.

Keller (21-8-2) scored two runs on a pair of errors, one mental and physical.

With two out in the top of the second and Cambree Cribbs at second and Landry Beaman at third, Mackenna Jackson was at the plate. Cribbs thought that Jackson had struck out and looked to be jogging off the field.

Cribbs made it three quarters of the way to third base before realizing that the side wasn’t retired and headed back to second, drawing a throw from Paschal pitcher Natalia Rojas. Beaman darted to the plate and beat the return throw home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.

Keller added a run in the top of the sixth when Indian’s starting pitcher Sadie Beck led off the inning with a lined a single to right. Kaiya Fabela, a Brigham Young signee, walked and Carley Genzer followed with an attempted sacrifice bunt.

Rojas got to the ball, but her throw to first was inside, into the runner, and got past Alex Vasquez to score Annsley Groce, who was pinch running for Beck. After a walk to Beaman loaded the bases for the Indians, Rojas got out of trouble with a liner to short that doubled off Tinsell Cribbs, who was running for Fabela, at third.

A ball dribbled in front of the plate by Keller’s Gracie Johnson hit her in fair territory for the final out.

Rojas pitched all seven innings for Paschal allowing the two runs, one earned, on five hits, five walks and two strikeouts. The Panthers played excellent defense behind Rojas.

In the bottom of the sixth, Rojas led off with a walk and Breanna Rodriguez singled with one out to put runners at first and second for the Panthers. Garcia followed with a towering shot to left field that just clear the wall to give Paschal the lead.

“She gave me an inside pitch and I knew that I could really hit inside pitches a lot better,” said Garcia, a senior that’s headed to the University of Texas at Tyler in the fall. “I saw the pitch and just hit it as hard as I could. We knew that Keller was going to be a really tough team, but our defense was in our favor today and so was our pitching.”

Beck, a Tarleton State signee, pitched well for Keller allowing the three earned runs scattering four hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts. Beck struck out eight batters in a row after Madison Howard led off Paschal’s half of the first inning with a pop out to first base.

Aledo throttles Everman twice, advances to area round

Aledo’s offense completely overwhelmed Everman in a UIL bi-district series on Thursday at Aledo High School.

The Bearcats (29-3) defeated Everman 15-0 in game one, ending the game with a run rule after the conclusion of the third inning. In game two, Aledo secured a 14-0 run rule victory in the fifth inning.

The Bearcats have had a stellar season, winning the District 5-5A championship with a perfect 12-0 record. Head coach Heather Myer’s squad has scored 243 more runs than its opponents.

“We really focus on being disciplined at the plate,” Myers said. “No matter what type of pitching that we’re seeing. We’re staying disciplined and focused.”

With the bi-district victory, the Bearcats will turn their attention to the area round; they’ll face Birdville or Midlothian.

What’s the key to making a deep playoff run? To Myers, it’s maturity at the plate and staying composed regardless of the situation.

“Not getting too big,” Myers said. “Not letting anything get too big. If we stay calm on defense and stay disciplined at the plat, we’ll be fine.”

Myer’s said the Bearcat’s Chemistry and compatibility has been one of the team’s biggest strengths. She said talented athletes as individuals won’t necessarily translate to championship success.

“They fight for each other on and off the field,” Myers said. “They’re willing to support each other no matter who is on or off the field. They are a true team, and that’s rare -- when you have athletes of this caliber who love each other It’s pretty special.”

Throughout both games, Everman’s defense struggled to make routine plays.

The Bulldogs were officially credited with 11 errors, although there were plenty of other defensive blunders: dropped balls, errant throws and a severe lack of awareness; Aledo took second base on multiple walks and advanced runners at will.

“We’ve always been aggressive,” Myers said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressively smart. ... It puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. They’ll always have to think about it in the back of their head.”

In game one, Aledo secured a 15-0 lead with a home run from Jordyn Edington and proceeded to take its foot off the pedal. Two Aledo runners were called out for leaving the bag early, which was a big help for the Bulldog defense.

Aledo batters stopped trying to record base hits, gifting outs to Everman on a silver platter by bunting to the pitcher’s mound. Still, the Bearcats managed to load the bases.

The Bearcat offense did more of the same in game two with multiple lineup changes. Kyleigh Pawlak led the way with five hits and five RBIs.

Brenlee Gonzales, Kennis Marx and Taylor McKean completed two combined no-hitters, tallying 21 total strikeouts.

Granbury sweeps Fort Worth South Hills

Granbury earned a trip to the area round with an 11-0, five-inning win over Fort Worth South Hills on Thursday at Saginaw High School to sweep the Class 5A bi-district series 2-0.

The Pirates, the fourth seed out of District 5-5A, defeated 6-5A top seed South Hills 9-0 on Wednesday night.

Granbury (16-17) will now face the winner of the Joshua-Grapevine series. Joshua took Game 1 on Thursday night 12-4 over the Mustangs.

Alli Dafoe picked up the win inside the circle for the Pirates scattering five hits over five innings. Dafoe, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor signee, struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Rachel Venable went 3-for-3 at the plate for Granbury with three runs batted in, including a two-run triple in a four-run second inning.

Hanna Dafoe went 1-for-2 for the Pirates with two walks and three runs scored. Her two-run single sparked a four-run third for Granbury.

Jasmine Reyes singled twice in two at bats for the Scorpions.