Top-ranked Bushland ends Lady Blues season

The Graham Lady Blues softball team pushed the top-ranked team in Class 4A like nobody else has done all season. Unfortunately, a two-out two-run single in the sixth inning doomed Graham falling, 2-1, in their best-of-three game series on Saturday at Vernon College. For the second consecutive season, the Lady Blues season ended in the Regional Semifinals. Seniors Aubree Beggs, Elizabeth Routon, Nicole King and Hallie Morgan each played in their final game in a Graham softball uniform. The senior class was the first group that Lady Blues head coach Adam Arrington coached and the first-year head coach admitted that this senior class was a special group to be around. "I love every single one of our seniors," said Lady Blues head coach Adam Arrington. "They have taught a lot to our younger girls who are on the team and have set a great example of how to be leaders." Beggs led the squad by reaching base six times in the three-game series with King collecting four hits. Graham ended the season ranked in the Top-10 in Class 4A after being ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state poll for the majority of the season. After beginning the season with just a 5-5 record, the Lady Blues began to turn things up a notch after losing on the road to defending state champions, Krum. After the loss to Krum, Graham took down 13 of its next 14 opponents including wins over ranked teams, Brownwood, Decatur, Vernon and Burkburnett. The Lady Blues rolled to their second straight District 6-4A title. "We came over here today and weren't worried about Game 3. We were worried about Game 2," Arrington said. When we got to Game 3 we knew it was going to be in our favor with as many Game 3's as we have faced in the playoffs already. This was out twelfth playoff game and will help these younger girls we have coming up." The Lady Blues end their season with a 28-11 record. Along with Graham, Fort Stockton, Huffman Hargrave, Waco Robinson, Sweeny, Crandall, Rusk and Bay City all ended their seasons over the weekend in Class 4A. Bushland 5, Graham 4 Graham jumped out to a 4-0 lead in Game 3, thanks in large part to a three-run third inning. For the second straight game, the Lady Blues jumped out to an early lead. Beggs began the game by reaching on an error and advanced to second when the throw got away. Routon drove her home after singling to right for an early lead, two batters into the contest. King followed with a double to the right field corner, which put runners in scoring position. Tatum Trester and Emma Southerland each brought home a run on a groundout and a fly out for a quick 3-0 lead. It appeared three runs might be enough for Southerland in the circle. Bushland had a runner reach base in every inning but the sophomore locked in when her team needed her the most and got out of trouble in the first four innings by not allowing a run. The Lady Blues padded their lead in the third when Beggs reached for the second time in as many plate appearances by smashing a double to left to lead off the inning. Routon sacrificed her to third and King plated Beggs on a one-out single to left for a 4-0 advantage. After King's single, 11 of the next 12 batters were retired. The Lady Falcons kept scratching until the end and got within one run after scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Graham committed two errors in the frame that led to those three runs. Two of the first four Bushland batters reached on those errors to start the inning. It appeared the Lady Blues might get out of the inning without allowing a run after Southerland got Jolee Lytal to fly out to center for the second out. With the bases still loaded, pitcher Halle Lytal smacked a single to center that scored two runs. The next batter, Avery Sena followed with a double to cut the deficit to 4-3. Graham began the bottom of the sixth clinging to a 4-3 lead when another two-out hit proved to be costly for the Lady Blues. After a one-out walk, Andrea Gauna reached base on an infield single. Southerland got Ashton Nelson swinging for the second out. With runners at first and second, Lytal roped a two-strike, two-out offering into right-center field for a two-run double to give the Lady Falcons their first lead of the entire game. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.