ADDISON – The last thing you want to do is hit a home run off Reagan Hall.
It doesn’t happen often, but with Hall already a standout pitcher for Fort Worth Country Day, a long ball only fires up the senior hurler. After giving up one in the top of the first inning, Hall finished off her amazing high school career with a second straight SPC 3A state softball championship – 12-1 against John Cooper on Saturday at Greenhill HS.
Hall, who signed on to play at Stephen F. Austin, finished with 11 strikeouts and the Falcons beat Cooper for the second straight year.
The team won 6-0 in 2023 to win the title.
“It’s an incredible feeling just because having eight seniors, you always want your seniors to be able to finish on a really high note and you can’t get any higher than this so I’m really excited for our seniors,” FWCD coach DeAnn Hall said. “Going into the season we kind of knew the bullseye would be on our back and we’d still have to show up and play because these teams are good and everybody is good out here.”
After going down 1-0, Country Day scored three in the bottom of the first inning. Emily Klein roped a pitch for a two-run single and Kyra Gibbons added one to center that gave the Falcons a 3-1 lead. Hall’s younger sister Ryleigh, who’s a freshman catcher, drew a bases loaded walk to up the lead to 4-1 in the second.
“Going down 1-0, I’m proud how we competed and came back, and fought at the plate. We had timely hits and everybody contributed,” DeAnn Hall said. “We always have a game card that we give out to somebody at the end of the game and we gave it out to the team because I feel like the team truly earned our win today.”
Reagan Hall got a batter swinging for a strikeout in the third.
The Falcons pulled away with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Reagan Hall drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and freshman Madie Richey hit a pitch that landed on the left field line for a two-run double to make the lead 7-1.
Carden Kimball added an RBI to center in the fourth to grow the margin to 8-1.
Reagan Hall struck out the order in the fifth for her ninth, 10th and 11th strikeouts. Katie Bruce led off the Country Day fifth with a walk and scored two batters later on an RBI double from Richey. After a walk to Klein put two runners on, Ryleigh Hall hit a hard grounder down the first base line to end the game via run-rule on a two-run triple. A throw went high and Hall slid into home for the 12-1 win.
Reagan Hall gave up only one hit after the first inning and didn’t issue a walk.
“I knew the second I threw that pitch that it hung but after that I was just getting warmed up,” Reagan Hall said. “Normally the first inning or two I get settled in, and I haven’t pitched on Greenhill’s mound in a couple of years so I had to adjust to it. But I just focused more on spin and body position so my pitches would go on the side of the plate and not down the middle.”
Ryleigh Hall drove in four and Bruce scored four times.
Richey went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. She went 6 for 6 with three doubles, one triple and five runs batted in during two state tournament games. Country Day beat Fort Worth Trinity Valley 17-1 in Friday’s semifinal round. The Falcons scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth inning to complete the run-rule.
Bruce led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run. Klein had two doubles and four RBIs. Ryleigh Hall doubled, tripled and drove in three runs.
Richey started the game in the circle and didn’t allow a hit in two innings.
Klein pitched the last two innings and didn’t allow a hit while striking out four batters.
“It feels even better that I got to do it with Ryleigh especially she’s the one with the walk-off,” Reagan Hall said. “It feels pretty good especially with these girls – they’re like my family. I will be really sad I don’t get to play with them anymore, but I’m happy we finished it on a good note.”
FWCD finishes the season with a 19-4 record. Four players (Bruce, Richey, Klein, Reagan Hall) all ended the year hitting at least 0.500. Bruce led the team with a 0.551 average, 38 hits, 16 doubles and four home runs. Ryleigh Hall ends her first season with a team-high 35 RBIs. Richey also ends her freshman campaign second in hitting (0.508) and led the team with 18 singles.
Hall went 11-1 from the circle with a 1.14 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.
Richey went 5-1 with 55 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
“Some of these seniors were also on our championship basketball team so for them to finish their athletic careers the way they have, they’re going to remember this moment for the rest of their lives and I’m just really excited for them,” said DeAnn Hall, who’s also Ryleigh and Reagan’s mom.
The sisters were on the basketball title team.
