The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

The Bridge City Lady Cardinals closed the show Friday night snapping back from two straight losses to defeat the West Orange-Stark Lady Mustangs, 3-1.

When the curtain came down the Lady Cardinals had re-established themselves as the Dist.

21-3A Champions ready to launch another state playoff campaign.

Tuesday night the Lady Cardinals take on Anauhuac in a warm-up game and will enter the state playoffs next week in the Region III bi-district round.

Other warm-up games may be scheduled.

With nearly 200 strikeouts for the season, senior pitcher Shandi Conner sent her 89th district opponent to the dugout in the season finale against WO-S. Conner, with her two remaining senior teammates, the dynamic Angelle sisters Lauren and Jenna, took a bow for the fans in their last district game on home field.

During pregame festivities plans where announced that all three Lady Cardinal seniors intended to play for Lamar State College-PA. If it became official, the three would join former Lady Cardinal Christina Jaques who is currently making a name for herself at LSC-PA as a freshman.

Lady Cardinal supporters packed the bleachers and applauded the trio on Senior Night in appreciation of their career contributions to the team.

The seniors in turn where fierce against the Lady Mustangs.

They are at the top of their game.

Lauren Angelle leads the team in batting.

Her district average is .438 with a home run, five triples, a double and fourteen singles, plus she has stolen 11 base and scored 22 runs.

Senior Angelle sister Jenna epitomizes stealth on base.

She kicked up clouds of dust scrambling bases to score the third run against the Lady Mustangs.

In the bottom of the fifth inning Angelle singles to get on first then turned WO-S errors into opportunities reaching second, then third.

She and courtesy runner for catcher Emily Kosh, Jessica Franklin, both scored on a double by Valerie Brown.

The Lady Cardinals’ first score came in the second inning when courtesy runner for pitcher Conner, Alex Holland, was driven in by an RBI bunt laid down by Bria Thibodeaux.

Angelle is the Lady Cardinal’s third top batter behind her sister and Brown.

In district action she bats at .277, Brown at .361.

And the senior Angelle sisters come with a family extra, freshman first baseman Allison Angelle.

Little sister gets the memorable experience of playing alongside her two older sisters in the Lady Cardinal infield on a district championship team.

Allison ups the Angelle family total by adding 6 hits that include a double, and scored seven runs her first district season.

Add them together and the Angelle sisters scored 41 of the 97 points the Lady Cardinals have posted during district action.

Opponents have scored only 18 points against the team in a hard fought Dist.

21-3A. Other heavy hitters in the Bridge City lineup include Kosh whose district batting average is .250 with eight hits and a double.

Thibodeaux has four RBI to go along with five hits, one a triple.

She scored nine runs.

Mallory Guidry has scored 12 runs just in the district season alone.

Backed up in the infield by the Angelle sisters and Brown on third, senior pitcher Conner is the cog in the Lady Cardinal defense.

She carries the team into the playoffs with 11 wins and two losses and a .98 ERA. She pitched seven shutouts against district opponents.

Conner missed one game this season because of an injury or her totals would be even greater.

Taking her place on the hill has been Franklin, Marlee Lopez and Emilee Reed.

Utility player Emily Navarro has stepped in for Kosh behind the plate as well.

The Lady Cardinal outfield consist of Guidry, Thibodeaux, Franklin and Sara McPherson.

Head Coach Sophia Mount re-grouped her previously undefeated squad after they dropped two Dist.

21-3A contests against Kirbyville and Hamshire-Fannett last week.

Mount’s discussion with the team and a day of rest apparently re-energized the Lady Cardinals who finished district with a hometown win.

The Lady Mustangs came to town poised to snatch a share of the Dist.

21-3A crown.

WO-S will now go into the playoffs as the second place team.