Senior Kathryn Hollingsworth’s inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday night led the Hebron softball team to a 3-1 victory over Mansfield Legacy in the first game of a Class 5A Region I best-of-3 second-round playoff series.
With the score tied at 1, Hollingsworth smashed the ball down the into the right-field corner for a two-run homer that provided the victory margin.
Heather Stearns struck out five for Hebron (28-10-1) to earn the win. Baylee Gray suffered the loss for Legacy (17-13). Game 2 is at 7 p.m. Friday at Byron Nelson High School.
In other area softball second-round playoff games (all Game 1 of a best-of-3 series) Thursday night:
CLASS 5A
Mesquite Horn 12, Rowlett 4: Melanie Jaegers had two doubles and three RBIs, and Haley LeMonds had a double and a triple to knock in two runs to lead Horn (26-8) over Rowlett (18-11) in a Region II area game. Game 2 is Friday at 6 p.m. at Rockwall-Heath.
Bryan 1, Garland 0: Garland's Kelly Walton was the hard-luck loser in a low-scoring Region II area game. Garland fell to 17-12-2. Game 2 is 6 p.m. Friday again at Waco Reicher.
Flower Mound Marcus 10, South Grand Prairie 7 (8 innings): Flower Mound Marcus rallied to send the game into extra innings and then scored three runs in the top of the eighth to win the Region I area game. South Grand Prairie led, 7-2, going into the fifth inning and 7-5 going into the seventh but couldn't close out Marcus (26-11-1).
CLASS 4A
Wylie 16, North Dallas 2: Wylie (26-10) used a pair of five-run innings to run-rule North Dallas (22-5) in five innings in the Region II area game. Sophomore catcher Ashlyn Pair led Wylie's offense with two triples and four RBIs. Pitcher Kalee Knight was also 2-for-4 for Wylie. Game 2 of the best-of-3 second-round series is 5 p.m. Friday at Wylie.
CLASS 3A
Pilot Point 5, Farmersville 0: Pilot Point's Skylar Cagle pitched a one-hit shutout, striking out 16 in the Region II area game. Farmersville's only hit came on a clean single to right field in the fifth inning. Pilot Point (29-7) scored all five of its runs in the second inning. Game 2 is 5:30 p.m. Friday at Frisco Heritage.
North Forney 6, Longview Spring Hill 1: Shelby Hedrick hit a home run and pitched North Forney to a home victory over Spring Hill (28-9) in the Region II area game. North Forney used 11 hits to score its six runs. Peyton Hedrick had two doubles for North Forney. Game 2 is 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Hill.