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Crawford Lady Pirates ready to add to championship legacy

This team is battle-tested. They lost in the 2021 State Final, but this year players are looking to redeem themselves.

CRAWFORD, Texas — As you peer out at the Crawford Lady Pirates scoreboard in right field, three different seasons are commemorated by way of a sticker. 

2012, 2014 and 2019. The three seasons represent when the Lady Pirates claimed state titles. 

Revamping that scoreboard and making some room for "2022" would mean everything worked out for the Lady Pirates this week in Austin.

“That’d be a great problem," head coach Kirk Allen said. "That would be a great problem if that happens. Get a big sticker or something like that, we’ll figure it out, I’m not worried about that, it’d be great if it does happen.”

Allen took over the softball program during the 2007-2008 season and has seen enormous success. His teams have reached the State Tournament six times, and are looking to win their fourth ring this week. 

“We take a lot of pride in it and the legacy that everybody has gone through here has built is amazing and we would love to keep that up," senior Lexi Moody said. 

This team is battle-tested. They lost in the 2021 State Final after a rain delay stalled a game in which they led. This year gave players a chance to rebound and redeem themselves. 

“This year, we really played it game by game and it was really on the back of all our minds and we weren’t going to settle for anything less than going back," senior Kylie Ray said. 

The team has a handful of seniors who graduated just over a week ago. They are the select few from the 2022 class that can still actively call themselves Pirates. 

A win in Austin would be the ultimate parting gift. 

“I think it would be one of the best endings to a high school career ever, you can’t get better than that," Moody said. 

Attempting to put the bow on top of that gift is junior starting pitcher Kenzie Jones. 

She started each and every game for the Lady Pirates in 2022, going 27-2, the exact same record as the team. 

She was also in the circle during Saturday's thrilling Regional Final over Axtell in which Crawford escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 3-2. 

“I always want the ball, you know, even if I'm not 100 percent feeling good, I always want the ball," Jones said. "I know what I can control and when I'm on the field I can control something. The legacy here at Crawford was laid out by them so it would mean a lot to just honor them with that.”

Their quest to revamp that scoreboard begins on Tuesday against Weimar. 

The first game begins at 4:00 p.m. at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. 

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