Sports

Ever since one of her earliest bombs launched in Ennis, the powerladen Maile Deutsch, who is of Hawaiian descent, has had her home runs described by one word.

While the best season in school history came to a premature and sad end, Italy softball appears to be on its way to the top. Facing a three-time state champion in Crawford, the Lady Gladiators suffered a 1-0 defeat in Game Three when the Pirates scored with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Italy softball Head Coach Tina Richards has been at the helm for seven years, all of them winners. Her teams have produced a 211-34 (.861) overall mark and a combined 62-3 (.954) in district action.

It didn’t go as planned for an Ennis baseball team who had won back-to-back Game Threes in the state playoffs. Plus, they had senior pitcher Nick Novy, who was unbeaten all season, starting on the hill.

Result Opponent

HC Tina Richards and the meteoric rising Italy softball team (38-3) split the first two games in their three-game series with Crawford this week. The Lady Gladiators, ranked No.

Up from the depths in a 3-0 deficit in Game Two at South Grand Prairie, Ennis (20-14-2) came fighting back to shush Corsicana (27-10) in a 10-4 verdict to even the Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals on Friday.

On a perfect weather night at Duncanville’s pristine Bob Rombach Field, Corsicana topped Ennis in the Class 5A Region II Quarterfinal opener, 3-0, behind the sterling pitching of Kolby Kincade.

Fans of the Mac-Gyver TV character would love the baseball coach version on display in Kellen Monreal, the Ennis manager of the baseball Lions. He leads a unified team known for fundamentals, a never-say-die attitude and the guile of MacGyver.