By Jack Walker

Staff Writer

It took extra innings and extra explanations to finally decided the winner of the Anna-Howe softball game in Saturday play at the Little Elm Softball Tournament.

In a game originally scheduled for seven innings, the score was all tied up 4-4 at that point and the two teams had to go into overtime mode for two exciting innings to get a winner.

Under softball rules, in extra innings teams start off with a runner on second base and every batter goes into the box with a two ball, one strike count in play.

In the Anna ninth, Samantha Dhane opened the inning on second base. After two outs, Dhane came in to score the winning run on a double by Cortney Price to give the Lady Coyotes the 7-6 win.

After both teams had scored single runs in the first inning, Anna looked to be in complete command as they scored two runs in the second and added another in the third to take a 4-1 lead to the fifth inning.

Renee Erwin had scored the first inning run after reaching when hit by a pitch. She came in to score on a single by Lauren Williams.

In the second, Dhane opened the inning with a Texas league single but was forced at second on a ball hit by Ceci Taylor. Katie Lamb reached on a Howe error and both runners moved up on another Lady Bulldog misplay.

With two out, Taylor and Lamb scored on an infield hit by Courtney Gilliland.In the circle Gillilland had worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first, giving up only a single run to Howe in the process.

The Lady Bulldogs came back to score a pair of runs in the fifth on three straight hits off of Lauren Williams who had moved to the circle in relief of Gilliland. Howe punched across the tying run in the sixth and Erwin worked around two walks in the Howe seventh to keep the game tied at 4-4.

Going into playoff mode, Tess Montgomery was put on second to open the eighth inning for the Lady Coyotes. Erwin reached on a bunt hit, moving Montgomery to third. After a pair of strikeouts, Dhane's single brought home two runs for Anna to give them a 6-4 lead.

Howe answered with two runs in their half of the eighth to deadlock to game at 6-6 before the Anna heroics in the ninth gave them the win.