Lake Creek’s reign in Class 5A softball ended at the hands of Lake Belton on Friday at Mumford High School.
Game 1 of the Region III-5A championship series was suspended after five innings due to bad weather Wednesday and the Lions scored four times in the top of the sixth as the game resumed less than 48 hours later. But the Broncos’Â five-run lead coming in stood for a 5-4 victory.
In Game 2, Lake Creek took a lead in the third inning, but a Lake Belton two-run homer in the fifth was all it needed for a 2-1 victory and series sweep despite being outscored 5-2 on Friday.
Lake Creek (34-9), ranked No. 8 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A poll and the two-time defending state champion, exits the season after reaching the fifth round for the fourth straight season.
No. 2 Lake Belton (40-4), which opened in 2020, reaches the state tournament for the first time in program history.
The Lions gave themselves momentum after staring at a 5-0 deficit as action in Game 1 picked back up with six offensive outs to work with to get back in it. The Lions came out on fire with a two-out rally as Gracee Brewer hit a two-run double, Chesney Davis singled home Brewer and then Davis later scored on a passed ball to make it a one-run game.
Lake Creek was set down in order in the top of the seventh as Lake Belton pitcher Shelby Schultz polished off the complete game with 10 strikeouts.
Lake Creek sophomore Sara Wiggins allowed five runs in the second inning Wednesday and allowed just one base runner the rest of the way Friday. She struck out three, walked five and allowed three hits and two earned runs.
In Game 2, Carmen Uribe picked up an RBI in the bottom of the third by scoring Madalyn Davis, who tripled to begin the inning. But Lake Creek totaled just those two hits in the game.
The Broncos took the lead with a two-run homer by Haley Hoffman in the top of the fifth.
After Madison Ruiz went the first four innings for Lake Belton, Schultz went the rest of the way with no hits allowed and three strikeouts in three innings.
Chesney Davis pitched the complete game for the Lions with two earned runs allowed on three hits. She struck out three and walked two.
Lake Creek had won 14 of 15 heading into the series, its only loss coming in Game 2 of the regional semifinals last week against Foster. Lake Creek hadn’t lost consecutive games since February.
Over the last four years, Lake Creek has gone an astounding 157-12.
Houston-area teams have won the last four Class 5A state championships — Lake Creek (2022-23), Barbers Hill (2021) and Angleton (2019).
Since the UIL expanded to six classes in 2015, this is the first time Houston will not have a team competing in the 5A softball final four.
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