Whitesboro couldn’t hold onto an 8-4 lead in the sixth inning as undefeated Coahoma rallied back and got a walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th to pick up the 10-9 win during the Class 3A state semifinals on Wednesday at UT’s McCombs Field.
The Bearcats end at 32-8.
It was their first trip to the state tournament in program history and first for Whitesboro in any team sport (football, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball) since the girls basketball team went to state in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Coahoma (31-0) will play Grandview (32-3) for the 3A title at 1 pm Thursday.
Grandview beat Hallettsville 11-2 on Wednesday.
Whitesboro led 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Bradi Gallaway drew a lead off walk and scored on a grounder from Avery Howerton. Gallaway advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a grounder from Reagan Downs.
The Bulldogs would go up 2-1 in the bottom of the first inning. With a runner at first and two outs, a single put runners on the corners. Then Addi Hart hit a two-run single for the lead.
Oli Hildebrand led off the Boro second with an infield single and Maci Graves followed with a walk. Two batters later and Addi McBride drove in Graves with a bunt that tied it at 2-2. Howerton then retired the order in the Coahoma second.
Whitesboro regained the lead in the third, 4-2.
Gallaway led off with a single to center and Howerton hit a one-out RBI double. Two batters later and Howerton scored on a wild pitch to give the Bearcats a 4-2 lead. The Bulldogs got a two-out single before Howerton got a fly out to right.
Gallaway led off the fifth with a double to left center and scored on Howerton’s single to extend the lead to 5-2. Coahoma pulled within 5-4 in the fifth with a two-run homer from Bree Lewis. In the sixth inning, Hildebrand reached on a fielding error in the infield. She went to second on a bunt by Graves and Tylar Olsen was hit by a pitch.
McBride singled to load the bases and two batters later Gallaway cleared the bases with a double to left center as Whitesboro had its biggest lead of the day at 8-4. The Bulldogs got back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the inning.
With two outs, an error by Whitesboro plated Hart and an RBI walk made it 8-6.
Starting pitcher Hannah Wells, a Texas commit, then followed with a two-run single to center that tied it at 8-8. Howerton was able to end the inning with a fly out in foul ground. Hildebrand walked with two outs in the seventh, but Wells struck out a batter for the third out.
Hart singled with one out and was the game winning run, but Hildebrand caught her trying to steal second. Olsen led the eighth with a walk before Wells retired the order. Coahoma was in business in the bottom of the eighth with a walk and single.
Both runners went to second and third on a bunt, but on the next at-bat, a hit went to Gallaway at short. She threw to Hildebrand at home for one out, which started a 6-2-3-1 inning ending double play. Howerton hit a one-out single to center in the ninth and scored from second on a single to center by Hildebrand to give Whitesboro a 9-8 lead.
Coahoma tied it with a lead off homer by Wells.
The Bearcats had two on in the 10th with two outs before Wells struck a batter out. Howerton retired the order to send the game to the 11th. Wells put up a 1-2-3 inning with back-to-back strikeouts and then hit a two-out single before Mia Clemmer got the game-winner to center.
Whitesboro made the trip to state after sweeping Emory Rains in the Region 2 final. Head coach Preslee Gallaway, sister to Bradi, won a state title with Pilot Point in 2013.
Howerton gave up five earned runs on 13 hits, three walks and struck out six. She batted 3 for 6 with one double and three RBI
Gallaway was 4 for 5 with two doubles and three RBI.
Wells allowed six earned on 11 hits, five walks and struck out 12.
