However, the West Texas Classic softball tournament in Midland brought the two one-time rivals together Friday afternoon at Aubrey Park and it was the Bulldogettes, who walked off the field with the Howard County bragging rights, following an 11-2 victory.

The game served as Coahoma’s (1-0) season opener and Forsan’s (1-3) fourth contest of the season. Obviously, there were early season kinks that both coaches still want to work out.

“(Pitcher) Heather (Newton) was a little shaky in the beginning, but it’s been a while since she’s faced hitting like that,” Bulldogettes Head Coach Tracy Tadlock said. “I obviously don’t call pitches for her in her summer league, so it takes a little to get used to it.”

“Our hitters struggled early, too,” he continued, “but they got that ironed out. I told them, we’re far ahead of where we were last season. We’ve only had one real practice with the whole team because of basketball. So I was happy to see them hit like they did.”

Forsan Head Coach Shanna Roberts noted improvement at the plate from the Lady Buffaloes, but feels they could still perform to a higher standard.

“We hit the ball a little better than we did the night before,” Roberts said, “but I was disappointed that we didn’t play in the field better. I hope it’s something that will come together over the course of the season. I know we’re young, but we’re much better than what I saw out there.”

“The girls have things on their minds other than softball,” she continued. “They’re going to have to dig in and get more focused.”

Tadlock noted improvement in the Lady Buffs, though.

“Forsan has gotten better,” commented Tadlock. “They’re hitting a lot better. Obviously, if they were getting hits off of Heather. So, I’m happy about getting this win.”

The Bulldogettes opened with two runs in the first inning, courtesy of a double from catcher Janice Gonzales that brought in Laci Sterling and Joanna Gonzales.

Coahoma added to that lead after Sterling knocked in a run with a triple and then crossed the plate herself on a Breanna Conner hit.

Trailing 4-0, Forsan mounted an attack in the bottom of the third inning. Sisters Shelby and Kelsey Jones each scored, courtesy of a two-RBI double by Amanda Longorio.

However, Coahoma added seven more runs over the next three innings, including four in the sixth, to come away with the victory.

Tadlock says that the Bulldogettes still have a long way to go in order to get to the form they had last season.

“We need to improve in all areas,” Tadlock said. “The way we played today isn’t going to win state and that’s our goal. Heather needs to be more focused and I need to get on the same page with her and Janice. We need to fix a couple of defensive glitches. With more game experience and practices we’ll get all of that ironed out.”

The Bulldogettes tasted their first defeat of the season later in the day, being shutout by Lubbock Coronado, 7-0. Coahoma faced Odessa Permian late Friday night, but a score from the game wasn’t available at press time.

The Bulldogettes played Midland Greenwood, Dumas and Grape Creek Saturday.

Forsan forfeited it’s only other game Friday against Grape Creek due to the boys’ basketball area playoff game happening in Andrews. The Lady Buffs played Lubbock Cooper and Dumas Saturday.

Full results of Saturday’s games will be available in Monday’s edition of the Herald.

Contact Sports Editor Jonathan Hull by calling 263-7331, ext. 237, or by e-mailing him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it