Little Elm fires on all cylinders in 16-3 playoff-clinching win over Braswell

That is something that Little Elm had little trouble with in a 16-3 run-rule win in five innings on senior night. The Lady Lobos batted around in the first inning, scoring six runs to quickly assume control. And with the win, Little Elm will make a return trip to the postseason.

“That was tough to lose in the bottom of the eighth inning on a home run,” Achorn said. “The girls had battled all the way through and we left too many girls on base. We talked to them and got them fired up so they knew we had to come out and win this one, and they did. The bats were hot and they came out and did well.”

Little Elm will be locked into either the third or fourth seed, meaning the Lady Lobos will draw either Plano West or Flower Mound in a Class 6A bi-district playoff series next week. The Lady Lobos can capture the third seed with a win Friday over Allen coupled with a McKinney victory against Prosper.

Perhaps the biggest thing that impressed Achorn on Thursday was Little Elm’s ability to string together hits. Although the Lady Lobos had gone 5-3 in their previous eight games, it had been almost one month since they had scored more than five runs in a game, which Little Elm did in its 10-2 victory against Braswell on March 25.

Little Elm needed just one inning to buck that trend.

The Lady Lobos used a little small ball to get the bats going. With two runners on in the bottom of the first, senior Cadence Hernandez hit an RBI single just out of reach of Braswell’s shortstop to get on the board. Junior Katie Mince followed with an RBI single up the middle for a 2-0 lead. And the Lady Lobos were just getting started. Junior Maria Florentino capped off the frame with an RBI single into left field for a 6-0 Little Elm (14-8-3) lead.

“It was a big game for them to come out and swing the bats,” Achorn said. “We’ve been emphasizing getting more offense going because we have a tough district, and to see them come out and swing the bats and get some confidence for our next game was huge.”

That was more than enough run support for sophomore pitcher Jadyn Struxness, who yielded just three runs – all in the fourth inning – in six innings. Junior Meadow Doyle closed the door on the Bengals with a scoreless seventh.

“Coach (Lauren) Ainsley has come in this year and has done an amazing job with her and our pitchers,” Achorn said. “It’s really helped out because coach Ainsley was a pitcher in college. She’s come in and worked her tail off with them. It’s made a huge difference. Jadyn has improved by leaps and bounds since coach Ainsley has come in here.”

By the time that Braswell had scored its first run of the ballgame, Little Elm had already staked out to a 10-0 lead. Senior Kyrsten Moran, who has 25 stolen bases on the season, lined a hit into left field between Braswell’s center fielder and left fielder in the bottom of the third. Moran then turned on the jets as she rounded the base path, sliding into home plate safely before the Bengals could apply the tag for an inside-the-park home run.

“As soon as it went between the center fielder and left fielder, I had an idea that she would do it,” Achorn said. “She saw it too and turned on the jets. She got it there and did it.”

Moran was one of two Lady Lobos that hit a home run on Thursday. Hernandez cleared the wall in center field with a three-run bomb in the bottom of the fourth for a 16-3 Little Elm advantage.

Little Elm hopes to continue its offensive ways in the playoffs. Last year, the Lady Lobos built a five-run lead before Hebron rallied for a 9-7 victory in a bi-district playoff.

“I think some experience will help them because they know its win or you’re out,” Achorn said. “Last year, we jumped out on them and then let down a little bit, and they beat us. It was a two-run game, and we lost. But we’re a little more focused this year and Jadyn has more experience this year as a sophomore. I think that experience will help us.”