Melissa High School (Melissa, TX) VS Barbers Hill High School (Mont Belvieu, TX)
Final score: Melissa 4- Barbers Hill 2
Perfect Game Softball scouts were on site to witness one of the premier High School showdowns of the year! #1 Nationally ranked Melissa High School took on #8 Nationally ranked Barbers Hill High School in the highly anticipated Texas High School 5A Division 1 State Championship game. Both teams lived up to the hype and showed why they are both considered top programs in the country. In what started out as an old-fashioned pitching duel between Melissa’s Eloisa Maes and Barbers Hill’s Macie Bryant, the game got interesting in the 6th, with a Barbers Hill pitching change.
Finlee Williams got things started when she doubled on a 2-1 count with a deep fly ball off the wall. Kennedy Bradley promptly followed her lead when she doubled on a crushed ball to center field bringing in the first run of the night. Not able to find the strike zone, Barbers Hill pitcher Hailey Nutter walked the next four batters, scoring two more runs and loading the bases for the Melissa Cardinals. Barbers Hill dug deep, and their defense went to work, with two pop outs and a strikeout to end the bottom of the sixth.
Barbers Hill entered the seventh inning chasing three runs and called Macie Bryant back into the circle. With only four pitches Bryant and her defense were able to get the first two outs. Caigan Crabtree then stepped up to the plate and drove a solo home run to left field, adding a much-needed security run for Melissa.
Going into the bottom of the seventh inning, down by four, Barbers Hill made things interesting. Hailey Nutter led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, followed by a solid single up the middle by Aybrie Corona. After a walk to load the bases, the Eagles got on the board with a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Bre Norman. After a defensive miscue, the bases were loaded again and Barbers Hill was able to score again after a patient at bat by Zoey Hood, drawing a walk. That would be the end of the threat as Maes stepped up under pressure and struck out the next two batters to help her team claim the championship.
For the Melissa Cardinals it was pitcher Eloisa Maes who went the distance and allowed just two hits and two runs with seven strike outs. Macie Bryant threw a solid game for Barbers Hill. The ace only gave up three hits over six innings and allowing one run while striking out six and walking two. Hailey Nutter took the loss for the Barbers Hill Eagles during her relief effort in the sixth inning.
Congratulations to both teams for an incredible season and representing their schools with pride. It’s easy to see why both squads have been nationally recognized and it will be exciting to watch many of those athletes compete at the next level.