By Jack Walker

Staff Writer

The Lady Bulldog softball team made a couple trips to Little Elm last weekend with not a lot to show for some fine efforts on the diamond.

They battled to a 1-1 tie against an outstanding Aubrey team in the Friday opener before losing to a top notch Denison varsity team in their second game.

Playing without three starters on Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs dropped an overtime game to Anna to kick off the second day of play in the event.

Aubrey 1, Howe 1

After starting the day in Pottsboro, we got to Howe's first game in Little Elm with most of the issues already settled.

Howe had taken a first inning lead on a lead off single by Maddie Potter and she scored on an RBI hit by Briana Slawson to give the Lady Bulldogs an early lead.

The Lady Chaparrals came back to tie the game in the fourth inning and that's the way it ended, all knotted up at 1-1.

Denison 4, Howe 0

The Lady Bulldogs could never get their offense untracked against freshman pitching star Kelsey Langford, and neither could any of the other teams in the tournament as the Lady Jackets rolled to the tournament championship.

Langford blanked the Lady Bulldogs and Dana Neasbitt was the hitting star, going three-for-four in the Denison win on Friday in the cold and mud. Neasbitt scored in the first inning for Denison after getting on with a single to right.

With two runners on in the fourth, Langford smashed a triple to pick up the two RBI and later scored on a single by Mary Parker as the Lady Cats got the shutout win.

Anna 7, Howe 6 (9)

The Saturday clash between Anna and Howe had everything you could ask for in a softball game. Plenty of offense, questionable officiating and extra innings in a game that went down to the wire.

Each team scored a run in the first inning, with Howe getting into comeback mode early. After the Lady Coyotes had scored in their half of the first Howe got singles from Maddie Potter,Paige Potter and Emily Morgan to tie the contest at 1-1.

Anna scored two runs in their half of the second and added an insurance run in the third and took a 4-1 lead to the bottom of the fifth.

Playing without the services of three starters,two at powerlifting and Katie Pelzel recovering from surgery, the Bulldogs showed some grit in the bottom of the fifth to get back in the ballgame. Katy Courtney led off the inning with an infield hit and Paige Potter followed with her third hit of the game. Morgan collected a pair of RBI with a single to make it a 4-3 game. Morgan Bailey led off the sixth with a bunt hit and she moved to second on a single to center by Katy Courtney.

Paige Potter kept her hitting streak alive with a Texas leaguer to load the bases and Bailey scored the tying run on a single by Morgan.

The game remained tied through the seventh and that's when the overtime rules kicked in.

Each team would start their at bats with a runner on second and an automatic two ball, one strike count on the batter.

Hot dogs were half price and kids get in free.

After Anna had scored two runs in the top of the seventh, Howe again battled back to tie the game. With Katy Courtney on second, Paige Potter and Morgan walked to load the bases. After two outs, Maddy Courtney got a pinch-hit single that scored Katy and Potter (we gotta start using nicknames) and we were tied at six each.

Anna sent up a pinch hitter in the ninth with two out but the hitter did not report to the umpire until the Anna coach came forward two pitches into the at-bat. Caused a hurried conference between umps but, much like a session of congress, nothing was done about it and the game continued as the Lady Coyotes scored the eventual game winner on a two-out hit.