A final look back at the Lady Panther’s title run

It has been almost a month since the Liberty Lady Panthers won their third state championship on June 4 at a hot Red and Charlene McCombs Field at the University of Texas with a 5-0 victory over Sweeny. The 4A title made it backto-back for Karen Slack’s ladies and their third title in four seasons of play.

Don’t forget that COVID-19 wiped out most of the 2019-2020 season. So basically, Liberty has won the State Title 3 of the last 4 times it has been played in Austin.

The first of those came in the 2017-2018 season.

I thought this would be fun, and we could do a little recap of the playoffs and relive some of those exciting memories again.

After finishing the regular season tied with Huffman and Hamshire-Fannett atop the district standings, the Lady Panthers, Lady Falcons, and Lady Longhorns met at Goose Creek Memorial High School in Baytown for a three-team tiebreaker.

Liberty took out Huffman 2-1 in a game that started on a Monday and was moved to the following day because of weather.

The Lady Panthers then took care of Hamshire-Fannett 5-1 next to win the district title, and they entered the post-season the number one seed:

Round 1 - Liberty vs. Vidor: The Lady Panthers met up with Vidor at Lamar University and easily won game one 13-3 and then swept the Lady Pirates on Friday, April 29, 19-4. Bailee Slack has three triples, a double, and five RBIs to lead the way at the plate. Reagan Williamson and Alex Wiley each add four hits apiece.

Round 2 - Liberty vs. Navasota: On to the Area Championship and a match-up with Navasota at Grand Oaks High School in Spring. After a 16-1 win over the Lady Rattlers on Friday night, Liberty puts up 16 more in a shutout on Saturday to sweep the series again. Williamson hits two home runs on Saturday, while Wiley also adds a blast. Kamdyn Chandler allows just a hit and finishes with three of her own at the plate. Wiley finished with six RBIs.

Round 3 - Liberty vs. Bridge City: In the Regional Quarterfinals, it was a battle for three games, and the Lady Cardinals won game one 4-0 on Thursday, May 12, to take a 1-0 series lead. With their backs to the wall, the Lady Panthers return to Baytown the following day and even the series at 1-apiece with a 4-0 win over Bridge City. Chandler is brilliant on the mound and allows only three hits while striking out six. Three runs in the fifth helps break open a 1-0 game. Both teams return to GCM on Saturday at noon, looking for a Regional Semifinals trip. The Lady Cardinals scored a run in the third and led 1-0, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Liberty loads the bases with one out, and then Maci Beam scores on a wild pitch to tie the game, and then Hollie Thomas hits a short fly ball to second base that is dropped, allowing Slack to score for the winning run.

Round 4 - Liberty vs. Taylor: In the Regional Semifinals, Taylor High School elects for a one-game playoff with the Lady Panthers, and it does not pay off in a 7-0 loss at Waller High School. Kylie Bishop breaks open a scoreless tie in the third inning with a three-run triple. Bishop finishes with four RBIs and two hits, while Chandler allows just three hits while striking out six.

Round 5 - Liberty vs. Lake Belton: In a re-match of last year’s Regional Finals, it’s the series everyone wants to see. Meeting at Navasota High School, the Lady Panthers win game one 3-1 on Friday, May 27, to move in front 1-0 in the series. Bishop has two hits and an RBI, while Chandler adds two hits and strikes out four in pitching a four-hitter. Saturday was a long day for both teams on the turf field, with temperatures reaching the high 90s. The Lady Broncos led 7-2 after four innings, but Liberty used a four-run fifth to get within 7-6. Lake Belton holds on for the 7-6 win and creates a third and final game.

During the 30-minute break, I noticed the confidence of our Lady Panthers in the dug-out and knew we were heading for Austin.

“I like being right sometimes.”

Final Score: Liberty 16 Lake Belton 4. Eight runs in the seventh break open an 8-4 game. The hit of the game was early on when catcher Hollie Thomas delivered a grand slam in the second inning to give the Lady Panthers a 6-2 lead. Thomas finishes with five RBIs and two hits, while Breezy Pantalion adds three hits and three RBIs. Reese Evans also has three hits and two RBIs, and of course, Chandler pitches six more innings in the heat after pitching six innings a couple of hours prior.

Round 6 - Liberty vs. Iowa Park: In the State Semifinals, Iowa Parks hit two homers in the first two innings to lead 2-0, heading into the third. Down 2-1 in the top of the third inning, and with Chandler at the plate and the bases loaded, the sophomore pitcher hits a shot to the gap clearing the bases and scoring all three runs to give her team a 4-2 lead. Chandler then does the rest on the mound, and the Lady Panthers are back in the title game.

Round 7 - Liberty vs. Sweeny: In the Class 4A State Championship Game, the Lady Panthers scored five runs in the first two innings coasting to the 5-0 victory. Bishop collected the MVP Trophy after finishing with three hits, two RBIs, and stellar defense from her third base position. Slack adds two hits while Chandler pitches a four-hit shutout in the title game.

LIBERTY PANTHERS 2021-2022 CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONS