Neville takes care of Vandebilt Catholic on the way to Sulphur

As far as sophomore years go, Amber Coons' could have been better.

Neville's ace pitcher was injured for most of the season, making it back just in time for the playoffs.

Tiger softball coach Trey Dozier has been cautious with her, but with a lead and six outs from a return trip to the Fast-Pitch 56, he went with Coons.

Coons came in in the sixth inning for Neville and struck out four batters, helping the eight-seeded Lady Tigers (20-11) preserve a 2-1 win over no. 9 Vandebilt Catholic and get back to Sulphur after a one-year absence.

Neville has now made the state tournament in three of the last four years.

"It feels great to come back and get to Sulphur with my team," Coons said. "That's all I've ever wanted for my school and my team and I'm so excited."

Trailing 1-0, Kaylah Hobbs sent a two-run shot over the left wall at Carl Smith Field in the fourth inning that gave Neville the lead for the duration.

Freshman pitcher Lauren Bloomer got the start for the Lady Tigers and allowed just the one run through five innings.

"We knew if Lauren hit a good drive that later in the game Amber could come in and help us out," Dozier said. "We felt confident once we made the change and everyone came through for us."

Vandebilt Catholic's Katie Fairchild reached base in the second inning with a single and scored its lone run of the game by coming on a hit from Alyssa Fister with two outs.

The Lady Terriers (12-13) stuck with their bunt-and-run strategy for the entire game, but failed to match Neville in the scoring column.

Coons worked out of a jam with runners at second and third with two strikeouts in the sixth inning. Mary Claire Sheppard added multiple plays at shortstop, including the last out of the game.

"We had some runners in scoring position late in the game but unfortunately we couldn't get a timely hit," Vandebilt Catholic coach Jessica Barksdale said. "This group literally did everything I asked them to do but now all we can do is get back to work for next year."

Neville spent the week in practice drilling infield defense, one of the biggest areas of improvement from last year's team.

"This is a Vandebilt Catholic team and they've always been here," Dozier said. "We knew nothing was safe out there and we had to keep playing and the girls did a great job."

Neville faces the winner of No. 1 North DeSoto and No. 16 Lutcher Friday, May 1 at Frasch Park in Sulphur at 4 p.m.

Neville's win puts three teams from District 2-4A in the state tournament along with Bastrop and West Ouachita.

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