Pampa softball finding stride as regional final with Sanger approaches
Last season, Pampa suffered a defeat to Burkburnett in the regional semifinals. In 2024, the Lady Harvesters wanted to be the ones celebrating.
Pampa accomplished that goal. The Lady Harvesters avenged their 2023 loss by sweeping the Lady Bulldogs in a 4A Region I semifinal series last weekend. The two wins extended Pampa’s playoff winning streak to seven games, putting it at 8-1 this postseason, and secured its second trip to the regional finals in program history.
The Lady Harvesters take on Sanger next, who defeated Pampa’s District 4-4A rival Dumas to advance. The three-game series starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls and will continue until Friday if necessary.
Now five rounds deep, Pampa continues enjoying its ride.
“We have been having fun,” said Lady Harvesters coach Dottie Hawthorne. “They love the game of softball and they love to compete. I think that is a big part of our success. The stress and the worries come but at the end of the day, we are all competing in a game that we love.”
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Both Games 1 and 2 were comfortable victories for Pampa. The Lady Harvesters scored five runs in the second and third innings to take an early 5-1 lead and coasted to a 6-2 win in the final four frames. Four Pampa players drove in runs, with junior Briley Daniels and senior Kassie Arnzen both scoring two runs each and contributing five combined hits.
Daniels also provided one of the game's biggest hits with an RBI double in the third inning. In the circle, senior Kynleigh Kirby struck out nine batters in a complete game.
The Lady Harvesters won Game 2 by a greater margin, 8-1. Kirby had another productive outing, striking out six batters in another complete game. Sophomore Karina Gonzalez provided some firepower at the ninth spot in Pampa’s lineup, launching two solo home runs in the second and seventh innings.
“Karina hitting the two home runs fueled the fire,” Hawthorne said. “All of the girls played so awesome.”
Hawthorne also praised Kirby, calling her one of the Lady Harvesters’ "most clutch players this season.”
“Kynleigh worked extremely hard in the circle,” Hawthorne said. “She’s never given up and she’s kept working.”
Hawthorne said she believes her team matches up well against Sanger, and thinks Pampa’s tough District 4-4A schedule has prepared it for this series. She’s hoping her players stay disciplined at the plate, lauding Sanger pitchers Leala Kloewer and Abby Chapmond for their pitch repertoire and how they throw around the strike zone.
“They are looking for their pitch that they can put into play,” Hawthorne said. “They work out of the zone a lot, so we are really stressing the idea of discipline at the plate and waiting for your pitch.”
With the series starting Wednesday in the Lady Harvesters’ fifth week of playoff action, Hawthorne said she hopes Pampa gets as much rest as possible. She wants to “keep up the high intensity”, but knows her team can’t do this without energy.
And if the right amount is present, the Lady Harvesters can earn another sweep.
“That can happen if we play the way that I know we can,” Hawthorne said. “Sanger is a tough opponent, so we will have to work really hard to make it happen in two games.”
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Pampa softball finding stride as regional final with Sanger approaches
