Cinco Ranch's softball team hosted an area round doubleheader with MacArthur Friday night in a best-of-three-game series. The Generals took game 1, 3-1, and Cinco Ranch answered big with a 14-0 victory.

“We wanted to score early,” MacArthur coach Robert Delk said. “We wanted to put them on the defense and make them come from behind which they haven’t had to do very often.”

MacArthur jumped out ahead early in Game 1 scoring two runs in the top of the first. Christina Garcia started the rally with a double and Andrea Saldivar followed with a base hit. Reyna Olivia knocked it Garcia and Saldivar scored by stealing home.

“That was huge,” Delk said about scoring two runs in the first inning.

The Generals scored again in the third when Saldivar, Cecily Gomez, and Olivia all hit singles. Saldivar scored on Olivia’s base hit for a 3-0 lead.

Cinco Ranch crossed the plate once in the fifth when Teresa Mursuli led off with a hit and eventually scored on an RBI from Jessica Stoelke.

“I think they just didn’t have their total focus going on,” Cinco Ranch coach Kerry Simpson said. “They were hitting the ball but just hitting it right to someone. And [MacArthur] made some outstanding catches out there, knocking down some balls that we normally would have scored on.”

Sarina Sanchez pitched for MacArthur giving up only three hits and striking out four.

“We wanted to keep our pitches away from their big hitters and play good defense,” Delk said. “Sarina just started pitching the second half of the season and is 9-1 right now.”

But the Generals weren’t so fortunate in the second game. Cinco Ranch came alive and racked up 14 runs to force a game 3.

“We came back in that second game with a little bit more focus and a little more determination,” Simpson said. “I just told them to forget about the first game and start over.”

The Cougars scored one run in the top of the first on one hit and one error.

But the damage came in the fourth as Cinco Ranch batted around and scored seven runs.

On one out, Alex Reynolds smacked a double. Stoelke knocked her in with a triple and on an error, scored the second run of the inning. Emily Meurer kept the rally alive with a base hit followed by Mary Beth Allcorn.

Molly Reynolds walked to load the bases and Courtney Buchman knocked in two runs with a single. Amy Pelton hit the last run in with her base hit for a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars remained unstoppable, scoring two more in the fifth and five more in the seventh.

Kristen Rumley led the Cougars on the mound, shutting down MacArthur, and allowing only two hits and 14 ground balls.

“She did a great job for a freshman having to step in like that,” said Simpson. “We put a lot of pressure on her but she’s tough.”

Game 3 will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at MacArthur. The winner of that game will move on to the regional quarterfinals and face Katy Taylor, which swept Lamar in two games Friday.

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