Lady Dawgs close out scrimmage season with split at Salado

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press

SALADO - It was the tale of two games in the Lady Dawgs’ dual softball scrimmage in blustery conditions Saturday in Salado.
The Lady Dawgs stumbled in the early game against host Salado in a 14-2 loss before rebounding with a 15-3 over the Robinson Lady Rockets in the 11 o’clock game. 
Copperas Cove answered two early Lady Eagles’ runs with a pair of their own to knot the first game of the double-header at 2-2.
Cove senior Emma Wasiak scored the Lady Dawgs’ first run. She earned a lead-off walk, was batted to second by sophomore Iliana Buitron and stole third to get into position before scoring on an RBI groundout by Trinity Zavala. Alejandra Espinoza then scored Buitron with an RBi single.
The Lady Eagles then scored on an RBI single in the bottom of the second before exploding for eight runs in the bottom of the third, paced by RBI singles by Giselle Salazar, Lexi Dudeczka and Katey Bartek, an RBI triple by Ryley Litchfield and a two-run home run by Bri Waters for an 11-2 lead.
The Lady Eagles added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to close out the scrimmage 14-2.
Buitron was 1 for 1 with a run, Espinoza was 1 for 1 with an RBI, and Larisa Perez was 1 for 2 to lead the Lady Dawgs. Wasiak had a walk and a run and Zavala had an RBI. 
Dudeczka was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs, and a triple. Litchfield was 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs a double, a triple and a walk and Waters was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, 2 runs, a walk and a home run to lead the Lady Eagles. 
Waters also earned the win in the circle. She allowed two earned runs on three hits. 
Cove pitchers Zavala and JoJo Hair combined to allow 13 earned run on 15 hits and seven walks in the loss.
In game two, the Lady Rockets took an early one-run lead on a Cove error but the Lady Dawgs quickly made up for it with four runs in the bottom of the first, led by RBI doubles by Buitron and Zavala and a lead-off triple by Meagan Hunt.
The Lady Rockets got one run back in the top of the second inning before the Lady Dawgs tacked on seven more runs in the bottom half of the inning. 
RBI doubles by Perez, Wasiak and Buitron along with RBI singles by Zavala and Espinoza paced the Lady Dawgs in the inning. 
An RBI triple by the Lady Rockets made it an 11-3 contest in the top of the third before the Lady Dawgs added their final three runs in the bottom of the third. An RBI single by Perez along with RBI doubles by Lynsey Robinson and Wasiak accounted for Cove’s runs in the inning.
Wasiak was 3 for 3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and 2 doubles; Zavala was 2 for 2 with a run, an RBI and a double; Perez was 2 for 3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and a double; Buitron was 2 for 3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and 2 doubles; and Hair was 2 for 3 with 2 runs to lead the Lady Dawgs batting. Hunt (1 for 1, 3R, BB), Robinson (1 for 3, 4RBI), Espinoza (1 for 1, RBI, BB), and Haylee Jennings (1 for 2, R) accounted for the rest of the Lady Dawgs’ 15 hits.
Robinson picked up the win in the circle for Cove. She allowed 3 earned runs on four hits with striking out one and walking one. Wasiak had two strikeouts in one inning. 
The Lady Dawgs returned home for the preseason opener against West last night (results not available at press time). 
They are next scheduled to face Lorena at home on Tuesday, February 22.