In a clash between two of the top high school softball teams in the nation, No. 1
Melissa defeated No. 8
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu) 4-2 to capture the Texas Conference 5A Division 1 state championship Friday night in Austin.
In the bottom of the sixth following a pitching change, the Cardinals finally broke through.
Finlee Williams ripped a shot that short-hopped the right-center field fence. The next batter — Florida commit
Kennedy Bradley — crushed a ball off the wall to score a diving Williams, giving Melissa a 1-0 lead. After a wild pitch and a series of walks, the top-ranked Cardinals extended their lead to 3-0 heading into the final frame.
Pictured here celebrating a run in a semifinal win, Melissa likely cemented its spot at No. 1 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings with its Friday night championship victory. (FILE PHOTO: Michael Horbovetz)
In the top of the seventh, Texas commit
Caigan Crabtree smashed her 20th home run of the season, adding to the momentum and pushing the score to 4-0.
Melissa appeared to be cruising toward its second consecutive state championship.
But the Eagles wouldn't go down quietly. In the bottom of the seventh, Barbers Hill loaded the bases after three walks, a base hit by
Aybrie Corona and a defensive miscue — suddenly trimming the lead to 4-2 with one out. Maes locked in and struck out the final two batters, sealing the victory and igniting a dogpile in the circle on the home field of the Texas Longhorns.
Melissa (38-1) is now all but guaranteed the MaxPreps National Championship and may go down as one of the most dominant hitting teams in high school softball history. Final rankings will be released in June following the conclusion of championships in every state.
