The Bowie High School softball team's one-run victory over Oak Ridge landed the Lady Bulldawgs two wins away from the state tournament.
The team advanced to the regional finals with a 5-4 triumph.
"I believe it showed how much passion we have for the game," said senior infielder Meagan Ramos. "It also proves how close we are as a team and how bad we want to win each and every inning."
The girls now look ahead to Friday's double-header with The Woodlands in Mumford. Win both games, and they punch their ticket to state. Split them, and it's a winner-take-all game at 7 p.m. Saturday.
"If we can take the momentum and win game one, it will make it a little bit easier going into game two," Coach Liz Wissel said. "That's one reason I prefere a doubleheader in the beginning of the series. We still have to work every pitch, every out and every inning."
For the Lady Bulldawgs, the hope is that their resilience and grit will pay off with the realization of every season's goal: playing at McCombs Field on the UT ÁùºÏ±¦µä campus.
"When our team plays at its best, nothing can stop us," pitcher Alexandra McLennan said. "Everyone is cheering on each other and even if something little doesn't go our way, we can bounce back in an instant."