For the Tom Bean Lady Cats softball team, this season has been a strange one. After being forced to start the season without star pitcher Megan Mitchell, there were also many schedule changes due to weather and surprises such as Howe scoring 8 runs against them in the first inning of a 12-10 Tom Bean win over their local rivals. It was only fitting, then, that their first round playoff game against Anna on Wednesday night be just as hectic and unpredictable as their season.

The night began with the Lady Cats at the plate. Lindsey Lacy got the scoring going with just one of her three runs on the night. It was not long, however, before Anna showed they were determined to come away from the game with something. Stevens smashed a two-run homer in the first inning to put her team up 3-1.

It was not until the third inning that the Lady Cats answered back. With Lacy and Megan Mitchell on base, senior Erin Tidwell hit a double and brought in the tying runs. It was Mitchell who would give Tom Bean the lead in the 5th. After driving in Lacy, the senior pitcher, who also came away from the game with 16 strikeouts, came in when Tidwell grounded out at first.

After a scoreless 6th and top of the 7th, Anna was up against it in the bottom of the last inning, needing at least a run to stay in the game. That run came when Stevens got her 3rd RBI of the night, sending in the tying run and taking the game into extra innings.  

Then came the rain, and lots of it. After playing the last few frames in some light drizzle, the skies opened up over McKinney, and the precipitation did not come alone. The game was delayed twice for lightning. The first of those lasted just over 30 minutes, while the second stopped play for about an hour. Knowing that the weather would not get any better, it was decided that the game was to be finished the next day, Thursday, at 3:00pm in McKinney. 

So, back the teams came to decide who would move on. When the game was called off, Tom Bean had Kayla Hastings on first with Malorie Bullock up to bat. After the senior struck out, sophomore Ashlyn LeDane singled to send Hastings around to third. Then, it was up to junior Jessica Lubbers to get her classmate home safely, and she did just that. This made the score 7-6, Tom Bean.

Hastings said that the feeling of getting a vital run like that was “amazing,” and not many runs are as big as the one she got. It was now up to Megan Mitchell and the Tom Bean defense to seal their spot in the next round. 

After initially hitting a single, Long was caught stealing for the Lady Coyotes for the first out of the inning. Mitchell then did her job for the Cats, striking out two more Anna batters and not allowing a run. It was all over then, the Lady Cats move on to face Caddo Mills in the next round.

“I just wanted to blow it by her, and get that third out more than anything,” said Megan Mitchell when asked about facing that last Anna batter. “I didn’t want her to hit it, because I just wanted to get it over with.”

Although the game was short, it was a sweet for Tom Bean and their fans.

“We came out here, we executed, we got Kayla to score,” continued Mitchell. “That was huge for us.”

One thing that was never in question throughout the entire game was the loyalty of the Tom Bean fans. In the pouring rain and dangerous lightning, many fans braved the weather with umbrellas in hand, staying at the field until the official call was made. Even on Thursday, teachers, parents, and students clocked in early to make sure the Tom Bean section of the stands remained full. Coach Lace Cherry talked of his fans efforts after their win.

“We have the best fans in the entire state of Texas. There’s no doubt about it. Even before I was here, they have had a large support group,” said Cherry.

“It starts with the elementary school, with their parents and grandparents. And they don’t miss games, there’s no way. Last night, 10:30, I went to talk to some parents and they said ‘Hey, we’re here with you.’ They didn’t care if it was midnight and we’re finishing the half inning, they ain’t going anywhere. They’re staying there.

“That’s the kind of support that spurs kids on. When you’re facing a tough situation, in the eighth inning, and you look up and your town’s there. The people that love you are there, and that’s great. It’s a good feeling to have that.”

It is certainly uplifting to see such support from a small town. It can be expected that these same fans will fill whatever park they come to next when their Tom Bean ladies face Caddo Mills sometime next week.