Spring Sports: A Closer Look at the Lady Cowboys Softball Squad at Gaither High

It’s been a year of ups and downs for the Lady Cowboys.

After winning their opener against Wharton, they dropped the next two games to Wharton at home and Robinson. They rallied with a 3-1 mark coming out of a four-game district series. Then, they went on a four-game losing streak, culminating in a close loss to Sickles on March 8. They then strung three wins together - only to lose three more in a row.

They are 4-1 since that tough loss to Alonso on March 26. The Gaither girls rallied down the stretch to get back to .500 ball. The 11-11 record can be deceiving. They are 8-4 in District 9 and are a lock for third place behind Chamberlain and Sickles.

Here's a look at District 9:

Chamberlain: 12-0(district) 16-4-1(overall)

Sickles: 9-3(district) 17-7(overall)

Gaither: 8-4(district) 11-11(overall)

Freedom: 7-5(district) 9-6(overall)

Hillsborough: 4-8(district) 4-12(overall)

Leto: 2-10(district) 3-14(overall)

King: 0-12(district) 0-16(overall)

The Lady Cowboys won a critical game against Sickles, 2-1 on April 8, splitting the series. They showed they can compete with the elite teams in District 9.

But they still need to figure out how to get past Chamberlain if they are going to repeat as district champs. The girls played them very close back on March 4, scoring three runs in the 7^th inning to close the game to 6-7. But it was not enough. The Chiefs swept the series on April 6 - to the tune of 7-3.

Gaither will likely be matched up with Leto in the district quarterfinals. They have owned The Falcons this year, beating them twice for a combined score of 27-5. They will have a very likely three-peat with Sickles in the district semifinals. District 9 playoffs start on April 19 at Chamberlain High School.

Juniors Morgan Litchfield and Lena Rovellada still lead the team in hitting; Litchfield with a .649 batting average, 48 hits, and 33 RBIs, all team-leading and district-leading statistics. Lena is batting .545 with 36 hits and 18 RBIs, second on the team in both categories. Lena also leads District 9 with 23 stolen bases.

Junior Alexis Mallow deserves the iron-woman award for the regular season. She has managed a 1.40 ERA in a whopping 125+ innings of work. She has carried the load for The Lady Cowboys. She also has 73 strikeouts to 39 walks.

Check back with Carrollwood Patch for updates on the district tournament.