Mikayla Velasquez hit her second homerun in as many games Tuesday night to help lead the Thrall Tigerettes (21-8 overall, 10-6 District 27-2A) to a 5-2 win over the Bartlett Lassies in the regular-season finale.
Velasquez got things started for the Tigerettes in the first inning. She took first base after being hit by a pitch and moved to second on a steal. With one out, Ashlyn Jarosek roped a double to left field, scoring Velasquez and giving Thrall a 1-0 lead.
Bartlett tied the score at one apiece in the bottom of the second inning on an error and a pair of sacrifice bunts.
The score remained tied going into the top half of the fifth inning when the Tigerettes broke the game open. Velasquez led off the inning with a homerun to center. The Lassies picked up two quick outs on solid infield play, but Dezi Lopez kept the inning going for Thrall with a single to right. A pair of Bartlett errors and a walk added three more runs to the Thrall total, giving the Tigerettes a 5-1 lead after five innings.
Bartlett got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but that would be as close as they would get. The Lassies threatened in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but the Tigerettes worked their way out of the jam to preserve the win.
The Tigerettes earned a playoff berth after finishing fourth in District 27-2A. They await the winner of Johnson City and Goldthwaite, who will play a seeding game on Monday to determine first and second place in District 28-2A. Bi-district play begins next week.
