Freshman ss Amanda Reenan waits for the throw-down on an attempted steal by Kincaid. On a close play, the runner was safe, but HP would win 7-2. photo; courtesy Barry Bowden.
In preparation for their new district opponents in 10-6A, on consecutive weekends, the Highland Park Lady Scot Varsity softball team has participated in fastpitch tournaments facing some of the more formidable softball teams in the state. Over this two week stretch, the Lady Scots have gone 2-7 (falling to 3-7 for the season) but have gained some valuable experience.
The weekend of Feb 21st saw HP participate in the Forney ISD Round Robin, and, this past weekend, The Lady Scots travelled to the Houston area for Ft. Bend Christian Academy’s annual invitational tournament. In both of these affairs, HP was challenged by playoff qualifiers from last season like Waxahachie & Forney, as well as Ft. Bend Christian Academy, themselves a TAPPS 4A State Champion two years ago, and a state runner-up just last season.
In scheduling these tough opponents, HP’s Head Varsity Softball Coach Meredith Townsend expected her team to see strong pitching, stout hitting, sharp defenses and sophisticated situational play – all with the intent of better preparing the Lady Scots for both their 6A district opponents, and an opportunity to qualify for the post-season for the first time in program history.
Though the Lady Scots out-scored only 2 of their 9 total tournament opponents, one of those victories was in their final game, a 7-2 win over the Kincaid School – providing some momentum going into district play. This game was highlighted by an 8 hit Scotty effort, including a 2-for-2 day by freshman Amanda Reenan. Reenan was one of three Lady Scots to hit doubles; junior catcher Rennie Orr stroked a double, as did senior Julianna Szuwalski – a shot that drove in two runs.
In the circle, junior pitcher Katie Bell struck out 8 Lady Falcons and gave up just 3 hits in 5 innings of work.
We’ll soon see how ready HP softball is for 6A district competition. The Lady Scots face North Mesquite at the HPHS softball field on Tuesday, March 3rd. Then, on Friday, March 6th the Lady Scots travel to JJ Pearce. On both dates the JV will start at 5p, with the Varsity at 7pm. Be sure to arrive early for the home game Tuesday as the Varsity players will honor teachers for ‘Teacher Appreciation Night’ and the softball dads will offer-up some tasty grilled treats!