Trailing early in their bi-district playoff game against Athens Thursday night, Farmersville needed a spark on offense.

The No. 24 Lady Farmers (12-0, 20-6) got precisely that in the top of the fourth inning, scoring seven runs to earn a 12-3 bi-district playoff victory. Athens found gaps in Farmersville’s defense early to take a 3-1 lead after three, but the Lady Farmers continued to battle.

They got it done on the base paths in the fourth inning. Carleigh Deeds was thrown out at home in a pickle for the first out of the inning, but the team followed it up with multiple base hits and took the lead on Kaylie Casados’ squeeze bunt to take a 4-3 lead. Farmersville stole home twice on two passed balls in the inning as well.

After a rough start to the game, Jamie Varga settled in for the complete-game victory. She retired 9 of the last 10 batters she faced in the game and struck out nine. Varga was also 4-for-4 at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring three times herself.

Coming into the game, head coach Paula Wilfong said the key was for the defense to avoid mistakes leading to additional runs. The Lady Farmers committed one error and got key catches from outfielders Jenson McTee and Bella Holland to preserve the win.

Farmersville will play the winner of Henderson and Pleasant Grove in the area championship round of the state playoffs. The date and time for the next round are still to be determined.

To read the full story, see next week’s issue of The Farmersville Times. Support your community newspaper for less than $40 a year.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]