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The Clarendon Enterprise - Spreading the word since 1878.
By Sandy Anderberg
Two committed coaches, eight dedicated seniors, several underclassmen, and a throng of devoted Bronco Nation fans equal ‘history in the making’ for the Clarendon Lady Bronco softball team. Their endurance and tenacity have put them in the State Semi-final game with Riesel this week.
Coming off a three-game series win over Floydada, the Lady Broncos are hungry and looking to devour the Lady Indians with the first game starting in Abilene as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday evening, May 20. Game two, and game three if needed, will be on Thursday, May 22. Follow Facebook.com/TheEnterprise for game updates.
The Lady Broncos were able to get the win over Floydada last week in three games, which was the first time in the 2025 playoffs it took three of the best two out of three series. After being down by one in the opening game, the Lady Broncos dug deep in their arsenal and earned three runs late in the game to win 4-3 over the Lady Winds in Canyon.
Senior stand-out Kennadie Cummins was on the mound and did what she has done all season long. She, along with a solid group of players behind her, was able to hold Floydada scoreless for the last four innings to get the win. It took Cummins 134 pitches against 37 batters in the two-run win with 98 of them being strikes. Cummins allowed five hits, two runs, two walks, and struck-out two in the nine innings.
Offensively, the Lady Broncos had their bats going racking up seven singles and three doubles in the game. Senior Hayden Elam smashed a triple along with a single for on RBI and one run. K. Cummins racked up a single and a double with one run and Cambree Smith was good for a double. Riley Jantz, Maloree Wann, and Shelby Christopher all had solid hits.
The Lady Broncos struggled to get anything going in the second game and lost 2-11. The Lady Winds were doing everything they needed to do to stay in the hunt and used a huge second inning to get the nine-run win. Elliot Frausto blasted a one run home run in the fourth inning to center field and grabbed the lone stolen base.
Tandie Cummins was on the mound and gave up 14 hits for their 11 runs. Cummins faced 41 batters and struck out six. Each team committed seven errors in the field.
With the series tied at one each, the Lady Broncos came out in the third with a solid game plan. From T. Cummins’ double to left field that scored Elam in the first inning to the duo repeating it for the last score of the game, the ladies executed to perfection offensively to put runs on the board.
Their defensive stand began at the mound with K. Cummins and then spread to a well-disciplined infield and alert outfield. The Lady Broncos, with strong determination, stopped everything the Lady Winds tried. Cummins was able to strike out six batters allowing only one Floydada hit and one walk.
The magic happening at home plate was no surprise as the Lady Bronco bats have been spot on all season long. They were able to slam five singles, six doubles, and one massive Elam homerun in the win. The entire lineup swung the bat well and posed a threat every time. Elam, T. and K. Cummins, and Jantz all blasted doubles and Frausto earned a stolen base.
Behind every good team is a dedicated coach and head coach Brad Elam has been that guy for four of his 22 years with Clarendon. He knows the athleticism and mindset of this team and recognizes how tough the girls are. “What a great series,” Elam said. “(I am) so proud of these girls and how they fought. Down one with two outs and no one on in game one and we were able to tie it.” Despite the fact that the second game did not go as planned, Elam never lost confidence in his team. “(We) had a bad game two, but the girls were able to bounce back and dominate game three,” he said. “They never doubted, just really tough girls; really happy for them and the town.”
The Lady Broncos will put it all on the line once again this week. We know them, their game, and their ‘never quit’ attitude. There is more history to be made and this Lady Bronco team is the team to do just that.
By Sandy Anderberg
The 2025 Lady Broncos made history on the diamond last weekend when they defeated Bangs in two games for the Regional Semi-Final Championship.
The ladies narrowly won the first game 7-6 thanks to a hitting clinic in the bottom of the fourth where all seven of their runs were scored to lead Bangs 7-2. They were able to defeat the Lady Dragons in two games with a 6-3 win in the closing game.
Overall, the Lady Broncos are supporting an impressive 27-5-1 season record for the 2025 season.
The win was the first time in school history that the softball team has achieved this goal of winning the Class 2A Division 1 Region 1 semifinal game to stay alive in post-season play.
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The Lady Bronco softball program began in 2001 when CHS made the decision to add another girls’ sport. There have been many playoff appearances in the 24 years since its beginning, but no team has conquered the regional semifinal game like the 2025 Lady Broncos. Their dominance in the field and on both sides of the plate has been outstanding. Led by a group of seniors and joined by several talented underclassmen, the Lady Broncos are very determined to finish their season with a state title.
In getting the game underway, the Lady Dragons earned the first score in the second inning and added another run in the third to go up by two runs. But after one more scoreless inning, the Lady Broncos turned up the heat in the fourth and kept their fire lit for the remainder. With two outs, Shelby Christopher gave her all and hit a huge homerun adding three runs on her line drive to right field to lead by two.
Before the Lady Broncos’ magical inning came to a close, Kennadie Cummins found enough mojo to hit a bomb to center field to score Cambree Smith who slammed a double to set up the two-run homer for Cummins. Stolen bases did not come easy for the ladies as they grabbed only two in the entire game. However, Hayden Elam earned a gigantic home plate steal from third base in the fourth after driving a triple to right field for the final Lady Bronco run of the game. The ladies held the lead and stopped a comeback attempt from Bangs to get the win.
K. Cummins was on the mound and went toe-to-toe with a good Lady Dragon pitcher but gained the upper hand for the Lady Broncos. Cummins threw 78 of 121 pitches and struck out one of the 32 batters she faced.
Game two was a dream come true for the Lady Broncos as they blasted their way to the winner’s circle. With the Dynamic Duo sharing duty on the mound, the better team fought to the 6-3 win. T. Cummins took the first four innings and twin sister K. Cummins stepped in to close it out. Tandie faced 22 batters and allowed seven hits, three runs and one walk while striking out two in her time at the helm. Kennadie took over in the fifth and allowed zero hits, runs, and walks and struck out two of the nine batters she went up against.
Offensively, the Lady Broncos were crazy strong. They got their bats working quickly and sent a message to the Lady Dragons that they meant business. Right out of the gate, K. Cummins took it to center field and got to run the bases for the first score. After an H. Elam, single, T. Cummins stepped up for a double to score Elam who had landed on second because of a steal and went to third on an error.
After taking advantage of errors in the field by the Lady Dragons, Clarendon was able to put players on the bases in the fourth and bring in two more runs to take a commanding lead. A big shot to right by T. Cummins resulted in a triple that scored Elam for the last run and the win. Bangs was helpless to get anything going in their last at bat.
The Lady Broncos will try to continue their winning streak in Canyon at the Canyon High School Softball Field against Floydada on Friday at 11:00 a.m. and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Game three, if needed, will begin 30 minutes after game number two.
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