.jpg)
The Columbus Lady Cardinals made history by earning a spot in the final four this season but were eliminated in the state semi-final round after losing to the defending Class 3A-Division II state champions, the Grandview Lady Zebras.
Despite the loss, the Lady Cards forced Grandview to the brink in the three-game series, Wednesday, May 20, at Georgetown High School and Saturday, May 23, at Granger High School.
@ Grandview, 9-3, L
In game one of the series, the Grandview came out swinging and jumped out to an early lead over the Lady Cards. In the bottom of the first inning, Grandview scored two runs to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
Grandview continued to score points in the second inning as they extended their lead by scoring four more runs. In the third inning Grandview scored two more runs to make the score 8-0 going into the fourth inning.
Grandview scored one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give themselves a 9-0 lead. The Lady Cards scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning, where Peyton and Presley Drozd each hit a ground ball that led to three total runs for the Lady Cards to arrive at the final score of 9-3.
Being down in the series, the Lady Cards knew they needed to come back strong in the second game of the series, and they did just that.
Vs. Grandview, 4-2, W With their backs against the wall, the Lady Cards knew they needed to win game two if they wanted to keep their season alive. They came out in the first inning and opened the scoring in a big way.
The Lady Cards scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Allie Cranek got things started with a two-run home run to give the Lady Cards a 2-0 lead.
Then Aggie Rodriguez hit an RBI single to bring home a third run, giving the Lady Cards a 3-0 lead. Grandview came back in the third inning when they scored two runs to cut the Lady Cards lead down to one run.
The Lady Cards were ready with a response in the bottom of the fourth inning with Rodriguez hitting a single, followed by Kaylea McCarthy hitting a single to drive home the final run of the game. The Lady Cards were able to hang onto their 4-2 lead to close out game two with a win to set the stage for game three of the series.
@ Grandview, 8-0, L
In their final game of the series, the Lady Cards were unfortunately shutout as Grandview jumped out to an 8-0 lead by the end of the second inning and held onto that lead for the rest of the game.
Grandview came out strong in the first inning where they scored seven runs before scoring their final run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. The Lady Cards played hard trying to get themselves back into this game but could not find a way to score a run, and their season came to an end in the state semi-final round.
Even though the Lady Cards lost the series, they still made history as a team this season/ They will now look ahead to next season where they will seek to return to the playoffs and push themselves over the hump and into the state championship game.
