Playing in strong winds coming out of the south, the Permian softball team was looking to close out its 2022 season with a victory over Midland Legacy.
After putting up four runs in the bottom of the fifth Friday at the Ratliff Softball Complex, it looked like the Lady Panthers would get the finish they were looking for.
The Lady Rebels, however, jumped back on top in the following inning, securing a 5-4 victory in District 2-6A play.
Before their last at-bat, Permian coach Angela Arebalos said she told her team to take it one pitch at a time because they have won similar close games before.
“They fought,” Arebalos said. “We went up there looking for a pitch and we fought.”
Although the weather conditions aided in carrying pop ups into left field, the Lady Panthers and Lady Rebels were locked in a defensive battle early on.
Maci Johnson gave Midland Legacy a 1-0 lead when she reached home plate on a wild pitch in the top of the first, an advantage that lasted until the fourth inning.
An RBI single from Leann Torres drove in Alfa Laredo to extended the visitors’ lead in the top of the frame.
The Lady Panthers couldn’t respond immediately, but got exactly what they needed in the bottom of the fifth.
Madilyn Martinez put Permian on the scoreboard with a solo homer over the left field fence.
Emma Chavez followed Martinez’s lead and hit a two-run deep shot to the same spot, bringing Tiggy Rayos in to give Permian its first lead of the game two at-bats later.
Mackenzei Bernal then extended the newfound advantage with a solo home run to center field, giving the Lady Panthers a boost.
“That was huge, that kept them in it and it showed them that they could do it,” Arebalos said. “We tell them all that time that we could do it any inning.”
It didn’t take long for Midland Legacy to respond, bringing in three runs in the top of the sixth to regain the lead.
With the bases loaded, Johnson doubled on a line drive to center that brought in Sam Burleson and Jaycie Pacheco before an error allowed Madi Chavez to score to give the Lady Rebels a 5-4 lead.
That advantage held up, giving Midland Legacy its third district win of the season to end the campaign.
“It’s a nice finish to help propel us into next season,” Midland Legacy coach Mandy Davis said. “We’ve got some confidence in some of these younger players that hopefully we can use moving forward.”
Permian finished the season with an 18-16 overall record, going 4-8 to finish fifth in the district standings.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
