By Jack Walker

Staff Writer

The Howe Lady Bulldog softball team finally got to open its season last week end, playing in the highly competitive Prestonwood Christian Academy tournament in Plano. In four games of bracket play the Lady Bulldogs split, wining two and losing a pair.

In the opener against Concordia Lutheran the Lady Bulldogs got off to a slow start giving up three runs in the first and two more in the third inning before getting the offense cranked. Maddie Potter scored on an RBI double by Briana Slawson and Slawson came home on a single by Morgan Bailey in the fifth. Not enough as they lost by a 5-2 count.

In game two Howe beat John Paul II from Plano by a 10-0 count that went just five innings. Emily Morgan picked up the win, fanning nine and giving up just a pair of hits in the shut out win.

Katie Hogan blasted an inside-the-park home run for one of her four hits in the game. Hogan had three RBI and scored three runs in the contest. Slawson had a three-for-four game, all three hits going for extra bases. She knocked in a couple runs and scored three. Erin Taylor was another hitting star with two hits in three trips to the plate and Potter also went two-for-three with a pair of doubles.

The Lady Bulldogs fell to a tough Caddo Mills team in their third game of the tournament by a 6-2 score. Trailing 6-0 going to the sixth inning, Howe got on the board with a lead off, inside-the-park homer by Paige Potter. Morgan Scribner followed Potter's shot with a double and she later scored, stealing home when the throw hit her in the back.

All the offensive pieces came together in the Lady Bulldogs final game of the event as they blasted Dallas Lutheran 16-0.

Morgan picked up her second win of the tournament, and the season, striking out seven batters in just three innings of work.

Maddie Potter, Emily Morgan, Erin Taylor and Danielle Felder were all two-for-three at the plate and Potter,Morgan and Felder each scored three runs in the blowout win. Paige Potter had a triple and a walk, scoring two runs in the contest.

Howe returns to tournament action this weekend in another very competitive tournament in Little Elm and will play teams such as Aubrey, Denison and Decatur in first round action.