By Bobby Allen

SDN Sports Editor

The Lady Tigers won a share of their second straight District 3-3A championship Friday, shrugging off an early Denver City rally to top the Fillies, 14-4, on Senior Night in the final home game of the season.

Snyder (18-9, 10-1) and ace Ashley Martinez surrendered three runs in the top of the first, before the Lady Tigers responded with six in the bottom half of the frame.

“We started off slow, but we responded -- it was a big win,” head coach Darren Pool said.

He said his goal going into the season was to simply make the playoffs, but he raised the bar once he saw what kind of team he had.

“Once I saw what we’ve got, I wanted the district title,” he said. “It’s a big deal for these girls and for the program.”

Pool said he did not envision a championship in his first year at the helm.

“I didn’t know we’d have a shot. We got surprises from some younger kids and from some of the older kids, too,” he said. “This is the starting point of seeing the pieces come together.”

After Denver City added a run in the top of the third, Snyder added a five-run cushion to make it 11-4 after three. The Lady Tigers added three more in the bottom of the fourth for the margin of victory.

Terann Ragland was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs and filled in at catcher after Heather Zajicek was dinged in the first inning, while Amber Luecke drew three walks and scored three runs.

Missy Vasquez, Rachel Clanton and Laura Clanton each contributed two hits, with Rachel Clanton driving in two runs.

Shalea Thompson hit a three-run double and drove in four runs on the night and Kelsi Johnson and Briana Bernal added a hit apiece.

Martinez said she didn’t change her approach before or after the big third inning.

“It’s always nice to have a cushion, but the closeness (of the score) didn’t bother me,” she said. “(Winning the district) is a real big deal. We had high expectations and we proved we could come together as a team and live up to the expectations others had for us and we had for ourselves.”

The Lady Tigers can claim the trophy outright with a win Tuesday at Lamesa. Snyder leads Lubbock Cooper by one game and Merkel by two games in the standings, as all three teams have sewn-up a post-season berth.

Although Snyder has beaten Cooper in both of their match-ups this year, there will be a one-game playoff for the title should the teams finish with the same record.

Snyder will play at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Lamesa.

The junior varsity girls finished off an impressive campaign Friday, winning 14-3 in three innings.

Tana Sullenger improved to 6-0 on the season and the team ran its district record to a perfect 10-0, 13-1-1 overall.

Jessica Calvert drove in four runs on two hits, Sarah Covington plated three on two hits, including a triple, Courtney Tyrrell added an RBI triple and Joshlyn Tovar cracked an inside-the-park home run.