This may be Travis’ best chance of toppling perennial power Elkins in district play. The game is at the Lady Tigers’ place, and Elkins may be without two of its top players who were injured at the Bryan tournament.
The Lady Knights swept the series last season but had to hang on for a 6-4 win at Travis in the second round.
ABOUT THE GAME
Matchup: Elkins vs. Travis
When: 7 p.m. Monday (weather permitting)
Where: Travis High School
What’s at stake: Playoff positioning, possibly the district title. Elkins is the defending district co-champion and a constant threat to take the title. Travis, on the other hand, was great in it first 23-5A campaign, going 12-5 last season, but wasn’t ready to take down the Lady Knights, who swept their two district meetings.
Elkins players to watch: P Nicole Gremillion, 3B/P Amber Garza, 2B Tara Williams
Travis players to watch: P Alexis Estrada, 3B Kaitlyn Jones, 1B Maryssa Silva
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Elkins: The Lady Knights were hit hard by injuries at the Bryan tournament. First star pitcher Nicole Gremillion, who went 24-4 last season, hyper-extended her elbow, forcing her to miss time, and then No. 2 pitcher and starting third baseman Amber Garza was hurt the next day. She was hit on the hand by a pitch during a win over Corpus Christi Moody. She finished the game but her hand swelled afterward. With another game scheduled that afternoon and no one ready to pitch, Elkins coach James McClanahan opted to withdraw his team from the tourney. The coach said at the time that both players could miss extended time. Their status for Monday’s game is uncertain. … Elkins shared the 23-5A championship with Clements for the fifth time in nine years last season. Since they split their regular-season meetings, they had a seeding tiebreaker and Clements won 3-1, sending Elkins to the postseason as the No. 2 seed. It lost in the first round 4-2 to Brazoswood.
Travis: The Lady Tigers went 19-11 in their first varsity season last year. They made the playoffs as the district’s third seed but were swept in two games by Clear Creek in the bi-district round. … In their 6-4 loss to Elkins on April 21, 2009, Elkins jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two innings. Travis matched them the rest of the way but couldn’t make up the difference. Melissa Billingsley led Travis by going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs. … Travis finished third at the Kingwood tournament, beating Huffman-Hargrave (3-0) and Atascocita (5-1) and falling to Clear Lake (2-0) on the final day. Alexis Estrada threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Hargrave.