Coahoma Softball’s Title Reign Ended by Santa Gertrudis

AUSTIN, TX — The Coahoma High School softball team’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight state championship was ended Thursday in an 8-1 loss to Kingsville’s Santa Gertrudis Academy.

The Lady Lions managed to pull off what few teams have done this year — slow down Coahoma’s high-powered offense.

The Bulldogettes were averaging over 15 runs per game entering the Class 3A Division II state final, but they were held to only three hits Thursday in Austin.

Santa Gertrudis scored the game’s first run in the fourth inning on a home run by KLee Bazan.

The Lady Lions then scored four times in the fifth inning, once in the sixth and twice in the seventh.

Santa Gertrudis outhit Coahoma 16-3, led by Bazan’s 4-for-4 performance and Hailey Ortega’s 3-for-4 game. Each player drove in three runs.

Lady Lions pitcher Alexia Ruiz threw 5.1 innings and didn’t give up a run until the sixth when Coahoma’s Emery Doporto doubled home Tatum Damgaard, who was pinch running after a Mia Clemmer walk.

This is the second state title in Santa Gertrudis’ history. The Lady Lions finished the season on a 23-game winning streak with a record of 37-3.

Coahoma was in its fifth consecutive state final and was aiming to become the first softball team in Texas to win four straight state titles. The Bulldogettes and Corpus Christi Calallen became the first programs last year to win three state titles in a row.

Coahoma finished its season with a record of 27-5.