The Aledo Ladycats stunned defending state champion Melissa 5-4 Wednesday in the 5A Division 1 state semifinal game at Denton High School.
The Ladycats used home runs from Delaney Rosser, Breleigh Mayer and Brooklyn Taloa and the clutch pitching of Tempe Perry to take down top-ranked Melissa and return to the state championship game for the first time since 2021.
“We knew Melissa was a big name coming into this game, but we are the bigger name,” Perry said after closing out the game with a stike out after Melissa got two runners on base in the seventh inning. The Ladycats certainly proved that Wednesday night.
Melissa scratched out three runs in the first inning, but Perry and the Ladycat defense held Melissa scoreless over the next four innings.
Rosser, the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first, gave momentum back to Aledo when she smashed a home run high off the scoreboard behind the left field wall to cut the Melissa lead to 3-1.
Aledo scratched out a run in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly RBI fy Kellyn Overturff to cut the score to 3-2, then senior catcher Mayer launched a 2-run home run over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Ladycats their first lead, 4-3.
The Aledo battery of Mayer and Perry have played big for Aledo the entire playoffs and no more than Wednesday night. Mayer has five home runs in the playoffs and Perry has earned all of Aledo’s playoff victories in the circle. Perry kept Melissa’s big bats mostly quiet during the game, only giving up one home run in the sixth inning.
Against nationally-ranked Melissa, Perry gave up six hits and walked six, while striking out five. Melissa had a .415 team batting average and averaged 11.3 runs per game. Melissa’s top three players all hit better than .500, and they had combined for 61 home runs and 207 RBIs before facing Perry.
After the Melissa home run from Amariee Bradford to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth, Aledo bounced right back with Taloa’s home run to take the lead back.
Last season, Melissa used the home run ball to trounce Aledo in the state semifinals, 15-4.
The Ladycats advance to their first state championship game since 2021 and will play the winner of Barbers Hill and Leander next Friday in Austin.
The Aledo defense came up big in Wednesday’s game, including a diving catch in right field by Kayleigh Martin and slick fielding by Rosser at shortstop.
Perry fell to her knees in celebration after getting the strikeout to end the game, which started the Aledo celebration.
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