Veterans softball holds off Houston County to win Game 1 of region rivalry

KATHLEEN — Tuesday’s region rivalry game between Veterans (15-8, 10-3 Region 2-6A) and Houston County (15-9, 11-5 Region) was going to be won by whoever could eke out a couple of late runs.

That ended up being the Lady Warhawks, who bolstered their lead in the sixth before taking home a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the series.

From start to finish it was a defensive battle defined by mistakes and big plays.

During the first two at-bats, Veterans fumbled while fielding the ball and two runners got to second and third base. Pitcher Cadence Scott followed that with two strikeouts and the Lady Warhawks escaped after they brought in a towering fly ball.

In the second inning, Piper Lambert slapped a ball to the 3-4 gap for what looked to be the equalizer, but second baseman Maddie Dubbert made an incredible diving effort and throw from the ground for the final out.

HoCo almost always found a way to get the outs they needed, and pitcher Allie Hutto came up in some big spots, too.

After Veterans retook the lead in the third, Hutto struck out the first two in the fourth and Brianna Walker secured the final out in right field. Even in the fifth, when she threw back-to-back hit-by-pitches, the defense allowed no runs through.

“Both teams did a good job with runners on,” said Veterans coach Jeff Sans. “It seemed like every inning there was a lot of pressure on the defense, and whoever got the big hit or a timely hit was going to win. And that’s kind of what happened there in the sixth. We were able to push a couple across.”

Ella Huddleston reached on an error to lead off the sixth inning, and Dubbert zipped her second hit of the night into center to follow.

Braylin Horton’s sacrifice bunt set up Huddleston on third base, and she dashed home on a passed ball to score their third run. Maddy Kinkade singled to bring Dubbert home and put the Lady Warhawks up 4-1.

That was the final score, and Scott tallied two more strikeouts in the seventh to help end the game. The timely hitting is what put Veterans ahead, but the defense is what kept them in the lead.

“I thought it was great,” Sans said of the defense. “We tell them, you’re gonna make mistakes, and errors are gonna happen. It’s what you do after that. And they stepped up and did a great job, I’m super proud of them.”

Coaches often try to treat every series the same, regardless of opponent. But with one like this, it can be hard to keep it mundane.

“They hate us and we hate them, it’s a healthy hate,” Sans said with a chuckle. “It kind of pushes all of us. … [It’s] fun and nerve-wracking and all that all at the same time.”

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HoCo will host the final two games of the series in a doubleheader at home on Oct. 1 starting at 4 p.m.