BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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AUSTIN – Grandview coach Leigh Ebner and her softball players said it Thursday night that the previous two seasons left a bad taste – having come up short at the state tournament.
The Zebras lost to Santa Gertrudis Academy in the 2023 semifinals and then reached their first state championship game in 2024, but lost in a heartbreaker against Coahoma in extra innings.
They also lost to Hughes Springs in extras during the 2018 semifinals under head coach Ron Holton.
But Grandview finally broke through – setting the tone with two runs in the first inning en route to a 9-3 victory over Whitesboro in the Class 3A Division 1 title game on Thursday at the University of Texas McCombs Field.
Grandview ends with a 34-3 record while Whitesboro finishes 26-12. The Lady Cats made the state tourney for the first time in 2024 and then followed it up with their first champ game appearance.
Junior pitcher and Texas commit Madi Doty was voted state champ MVP with seven innings, four hits allowed and 11 strikeouts. Doty also pitched in the previous three games at state in Austin (2023 and 2024 semis, and 2024 title game). She was named to the 3A state all-tournament team both times.
“Oh my gosh…we’ve been working for this the past three years and to finally win it, it feels amazing,” Doty said
“The girls set out for this last season when we came in second, but I knew we’d come back here,” Grandview coach Leigh Ebner added. “It left a bad taste and it’s unfortunate to think that way because you make it here, but they wanted to win it. They worked hard every day of the season to get back here and win.”
It’s the fifth state title in Grandview school history among the six major sports (football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, baseball). Grandview won football titles in 2018 and 2019, and girls basketball titles in 1973 and 1974.
“I’ll never forget this team. They were absolutely fun to be with on a daily basis. They’re just great and they worked hard. I never had to stay on them, they were always ready and they were fun to watch,” Ebner said.
Grandview led 2-0 in the top of the first inning when the Zebras got hits from their first two batters Jaley James (North Texas signee) and SJ Mann (ACU commit). James led the game off with a triple and Mann followed with a hit that went through the Whitesboro center fielder and right fielder, and went to the wall. The outfield was playing up and Mann got it through the gap which turned into a two-run inside the park home run.
“What a better way to start a game,” Ebner said. “That’s what Jaley and SJ do best. SJ has done that 3 or 4 times this season already and I knew it could happen again.”
Added Mann, “We’ve been here so we knew what to expect. Third times a charm – we all said it. I was just thinking to myself, turn and try to hit one in the gap. I didn’t care which gap, I was just trying to hit one and get Jaley in – nothing special but I’ll take the home run.”
Doty pitched a clean inning in the bottom of the first, but it took 23 pitches to do so. It took 22 pitches to get the first two batters out and then got a one pitch out when Avery Howerton (Texas Tech commit) took the first pitch of her at-bat back to Doty for the third out.
Grandview put two runners on base in the top of the second but Whitesboro shortstop Bradi Gallaway made a diving stop just behind second base and flipped it to Reagan Downs for the force to save a run and get out of the jam. Howerton, Whitesboro’s starting pitcher, picked up her third strikeout to leave runners on the corners in the third.
The Lady Cats cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third when Grandview committed a two-out error. Then Gallaway, a LA Tech signee, drilled a pitch over the head of Mann in center field for an RBI triple. Doty managed to keep the Zebras in front by striking out the side.
Grandview, again, put two runners on in the fourth and nearly had the bases loaded when Mann had a 3-0 count. But Howerton stayed strong and was able to get out of the inning scoreless.
Doty worked around a lead off double by Howerton, who was able to advance to third in the fourth. Doty ended the inning with her sixth strikeout.
Grandview blew the game open with five runs in the fifth.
Doty and Kylie Grafa (Delta State signee) led the inning off with a single and double and a run came home on an infield error to give Grandview a 3-1 lead. The Zebras loaded the bases when KJ Hubbard drew an RBI walk and James cleared the bases with a double to right center that extended the lead to 7-1.
An RBI single by Aubree Nalley and an RBI ground out from Kat Gordy increased Grandview’s lead to 9-1 in the top of the sixth inning.
Whitesboro pulled within 9-3 when Tylar Olsen hit a single to shallow right field. Then another runner crossed the plate on what the umpire called a dropped third strike and got to the back stop on the next at-bat.
Doty closed it out with three straight strikeouts in the seventh.
James finished 3 for 4 with a double, triple and three runs batted in. Doty went 2 for 4 while Mann was 2 for 4 with the four-bagger and two RBI. Grandview’s 5-8 hole hitters had one RBI each while eight of the nine batters recorded at least one hit.
Said James, “Feels great knowing I can do it for my teammates and we worked so hard for this. It feels amazing to know that I ended my career on a high note here at Grandview.”
“My lineup at any point can get on and get the job done and they did,” Ebner added. “We make it where pitchers can’t really own the bottom of the lineup because they can hit just as well.”
