NTCC Softball Wins 14 Inning Thriller over TJC

Northeast Texas Community College traveled to Tyler Junior College on Wednesday, Apr 19, for what was to be a conference doubleheader against the Apaches. However, due to rain the day before, the start time was pushed to 3:00 pm on Wednesday instead of the usual 1:00 pm start. While the teams were to play two seven-inning games, Game 1 went fourteen innings, and with TJC not having lights, they managed to get just one game in, with NTCC winning 11-9.

NTCC started things off right with two runs in the first inning when Carson Zachry (Mount Pleasant, Texas) hit a two-out single, and that followed with Hannah Boettcher (Valley Mills, Texas) going deep for a two-run home run to put NTCC up 2-0. However, Tyler would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1 Eagles after one.

While the Eagles remained off the board in the second, third, and fourth innings, TJC would score four runs in the bottom of the third to move ahead 5-2. Raelyn Kinard (Lake Jackson, Texas) would reach base with a one-out single in the fifth inning and advanced to second when Zachry drew a walk. Shea Nelson (Hughes Springs, Texas) would put the ball in play, and an error by the shortstop allowed Kinard to score and cut the Apache lead to 5-3 after five innings of the game.

NTCC would tie the game at 5-5 when Jalissa Alvarez (Mount Pleasant, Texas) and Haley McAlexander (New Boston, Texas) scored in the sixth inning to get the Eagles back in the game. The Eagles would take a brief lead in the top of the seventh when Boettcher got on base and made her way around to score to move ahead 6-5.

TJC would not go away and scored to tie the game and force extra innings when they plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at 6-6. Both teams would not score in the eighth or ninth innings. Still, NTCC got a run when Skylar Liebrecht (Lakewood, California) doubled to left field. Victoria Giganti (Salado, Texas) came in to pinch run and later scored on a single by Kinard to move the score 7-6 Eagles.

Once again, the home team, Apaches, would not go away quickly, and a solo home run tied the game at 7-7 after ten innings of play. TJC and NTCC would go scoreless in the eleventh and twelfth innings. Kinard and Zachry each came across the plate in the top of the thirteenth inning to move the Eagles up 9-7, but once again, TJC extended things in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. 

The Eagles picked up the final two runs in the fourteenth and final inning when Alvarez and McAlexander scored to put the visiting Eagles up 11-9. Daphne Bogenschutz (White Oak, Texas) would come on in relief of starter Braylynn Henderson (West Columbia, Texas), who pitched the first ten innings for NTCC, and Bogenschutz went four innings to get the Eagles the win.

With Game 1 going fourteen innings and daylight becoming an issue, the teams could not play Game 2. However, as the season is coming to an end soon if the game is needed to determine post-season qualifications, they will make it up at a date and time to be determined.

NTCC will be home Saturday, Apr 22, against Bossier Parish Community College at 1:00 pm.