On this the first Saturday of May - the day that hosts the Kentucky Derby horse race - the CBC Cougars had the look a morning line "mudder". A "mudder" doesn't mind the rain and the mud, in fact they thrive in it. So as a the rain fell the Cougars were relaxed and playful despite knowing they were playing to extend their season in the contenders bracket of the Region XIV Championships.
Sophomore, first-baseman, Kathrina Rangel made the Cougars look like a winning "mudder" when she belted a Trinity Valley pitch that traveled above the scoreboard and beyond the road behind the Lamar State Port Arthur field for a bases clearing Grand Slam. Then the sun came out. The track dried and the "mudder's" advantage was gone as Trinity Valley came back to defeat CBC 6-4 and eliminate them from the Championships.
The Cougars came roaring out of the gate in the rain delayed game. Mirella Guevara drew a lead off walk, before Emily Michki moved her to second with a single to right field. Kirstie Soto attempted to lay down a runner-advancing sacrifice bunt, but bunted the ball so perfectly she ended up joining them to load the bases. Rangel did what she has done all season. One perfect swing, sent the Trinity Valley fast ball 350 feet into to parking lot beyond the right field scoreboard and gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead.
Trinity Valley would start closing the gap in the bottom of the second inning, when they got to Lydia Clarke with three singles, on top of a wild pitch, two walks and a Cougar defensive miscue to pull within one run 4-3. Clarke would steady out over the next two innings, before the Cardinals got to her again in the bottom of the fourth. TVCC tied the score with a long home run of their own over the left field fence with two outs. The next batter doubled to left center, and scored standing up after a single just beyond the glove of Rangel at first. The Cougars would finally end the damage executing a run down on an attempted double-steal. Nonetheless the Cardinals led 6-4, and they would make the lead hold up retiring the side in order over the next three Cougar at-bats.
CBC closes the season 23-26 a new program record in wins, and become the first CBC women's athletic team to qualify for post-season play under first-year head coach Stephen Machorro. Eight sophomores will depart the program having re-written most of the Cougar record-books.