State champs ready for repeat

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SHINER — Despite a late start to the softball season, the Shiner St. Paul Lady Cardinals are still on track toward repeating as the defending state champions beat New Braunfels Christian Academy (NBCA) 16-0, run-ruling their opponents in three innings.

Taking the mound was freshman Isabell Clay who pitched all three innings in the win.

“We pitched her the other night against Victoria St. Joseph, she did a great job,” head coach Lance Giese said. “We just had a bad inning of errors that night, it wasn’t her fault. [Today she] came in, I thought she did an excellent job. One walk in the first inning, can’t ask for anything more. [She] throws strikes.”

The Lady Cardinals were able to take advantage of NBCA’s mistakes on the field as the team racked up nine runs in the first inning and seven more in the second to build the 16-0 lead.

“I wanted to come into the game hitting the ball a little better and I think we did,” Giese said. “This year coming in we wanted to run the bases better, hit the ball better and I think we are. We’re moving in the right direction, getting a late start due to basketball but the girls are working hard and are moving in the right direction.”

Shiner St. Paul, now 3-0 in district, focuses on their rivals tonight as they take on Hallettsville Sacred Heart. Even with the pressure of a rivalry game, the Lady Cardinals lost just one starter from last year’s team, so Giese fully expects his team to make another state-title run.

“There should be really nothing that should affect these girls,” he explained. “Leadership is good for us. They’re all experienced girls. I don’t think I have a bad girl in my team. I expect when we put in a sub, she’d do the same thing as a starter.”

Among on-field situations that should be worked on, Giese cited base running and hitting as parts of their game that he’s always looking at for improvement. Pitching is also another factor area he looks for.

“We’re always trying to throw strikes, no walks,” he said. “Eliminate walks. Eliminate errors. For the most part we’ve done that this year. We just try to get better base running and hit the ball. We got to pound the ball and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. Our lineup is pretty [strong] up and down. We should be able to put anybody in there to hit the ball.”

So far the Lady Cardinals have proved they can do just that. Giese hopes this will last not only through district but the playoffs as well.

The Cardinals take on Hallettsville Sacred Heart tonight with first pitch set for 7 p.m.

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