Lady Dawgs begin own tourney with 3-0 record
The Burnet High School softball team started its home tournament by going 3-0 on March 3. The varsity defeated Lago Vista 15-3 in the night cap and began the day with a 13-1 win against Wimberley. The junior varsity beat Pflugerville Connally 8-2.
“The JV is solid all the way around,” head coach Hailey Wooten said. “I knew they could compete with varsity teams. That’s why I put them in this tournament. The varsity has rhythm right now. It’s fun to watch. They can hit the ball and play defense.”
Against Lago Vista, the Lady Dawgs (12-2, District 19-4A) plated three runs in the first inning the Lady Vikings matched in their half of the inning. Burnet A-got the runs back and more in the second inning with five to take an 8-3 lead that went to 15-3 by the end of the third inning. Sophomore Camrynn Guthrie recorded 5 RBIs off 2 hits. Senior Savannah Gomez and junior Addie Hernandez each added 2 RBIs. Kyleigh Mott, Elyse De Arcos and Lanee McCurry each contributed an RBI.
Sophomore pitcher MaeSyn Gay struck out four of the 14 batters she faced and took advantage of a stingy defense behind her that never allowed the Lady Vikings to threaten.
Burnet’s opener against Wimberley featured pitchers Mott, who had 5 strikeouts, and Blair Gililland, who had 2 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Maddie Moise led the offense with 3 RBIs, while Gomez and Mott each had 2. The game ended after 3.5 innings.
The junior varsity made quick work of the Lady Cougars. Burnet scored four runs in the first inning and four in the fourth, which included a home run, after Connally plated two runs in its half of the inning. Emmalee Wiliams had 2 RBIs for the Lady Dawgs and Lexi Leatherwood recorded 2 hits. The Lady Cougars had 3 errors.
Burnet pitcher Olivia Robles had four strikeouts during the contest.
What makes the Lady Dawgs so dangerous, Wooten said, is the depth throughout the program. And that was on full display during the tournament’s first day.
“We have a sophomore group who were freshmen last year who were a huge part of our success,” she said. “We were fourth in our district. And our district has tough teams that we beat.”
The district includes Salado, Lake Belton, Georgetown Gateway, Taylor and Jarrell.
This year’s Burnet squad has freshmen Lyndee Harless and McCurry, who are providing the invaluable depth needed for district and postseason success.
“They have it,” Wooten said. “The potential is through the roof. (Experienced players) know they have to show up, they have to earn their spot. Depth is not something we’ve had for a long time. This will be a fun group.”
She also noted the players don’t believe in days off. It’s common to see them at Bulldog Diamonds or other ball parks working on their skills when the stands are empty, especially Guthrie, who already has 5 homers this season.
“In this game, taking time off is never good,” the coach said. “Camrynn is out here every single day. She’s going to put the work in. She’s got it all.”
