Broncos aces learns to work out of jams, Sam Houston hosts Live Oak in quarterfinals
Published 12:13 pm Friday, April 25, 2025
Sam Houston head coach Beth Domingue has a lot of confidence in sophomore pitcher Kailyn Mire.
In one of the No. 1 Broncos' most difficult games, Domingue let Mire ride out early struggles and lead them to a win over Live Oak. She will send her out to the circle to face the No. 8 Eagles again with a trip to next week's Louisiana High School Athletic Association state softball tournament in Sulphur hanging in the balance.
The Non-select Division I quarterfinal game will start at 5 p.m. today at Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff.
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In that first meeting against Live Oak (21-13), Mire gave up nine runs in the first inning but allowed one more over the next six innings and the Broncos won 13-10 on a Chloe Peshoff walk-off three-run home run.
'As a sophomore taking that, that is a tough spot to be in,' Domingue said. 'She has been in those spots this year. We started pecking away. I feel like that was the first time we faced some real adversity.'
While the Broncos' offense draws a lot of the spotlight with 53 home runs, Domingue said Mire has been steady and reliable all season. She has pitched all but two innings this season for the Broncos (27-2) and has a 1.75 earned run average in 160 innings.
'Kailyn has been phenomenal for us,' Domingue said. 'I feel like she gets overlooked by the way she wins. She has really done some great things for us. It is cool to see.'
With 104 strikeouts to 59 walks, Mire is not a power pitcher but doesn't give opponents much to work with. She has allowed more than one earned run once in her last 12 starts.
'I think it is her pitch location,' Domingue said. 'She has done a really good job putting it where we wanted.
'She changes speeds and forces weak contact. She might not strike you out every time, but she trusts the defense to make the plays.'
That first Live Oak game marked a season high in errors (5) for the Broncos. They committed no more than one error in nine of their last 12 games.
'Honestly, I feel like our defense has been pretty solid all year,' Domingue said. 'We have had some bumps in the road. All around the field, we are pretty defensively solid.'
Domingue said she hasn't talked to the Broncos much about the state tournament or last season's 9-8 quarterfinals loss at St. Amant, preferring instead to stay focused on the moment.
'We have had that sour taste in our mouth,' Domingue said. 'That was a really tough loss. We haven't really talked about getting to Sulphur.
'We have talked about who is the next opponent. The only thing that matters is the next game. The only thing that matters is winning the next game and that is against Live Oak.'
Elsewhere
Oakdale (16-8) was the lone area team to reach the state tournament last year with its first run to the semifinals and wants to make it back-to-back trips. And it goes through Oak Grove again. The No. 5 Warriors travel to No. 4 Oak Grove (16-8) for a 4 p.m. Saturday Non-select Division IV quarterfinal game.
Last year in Oak Grove, junior Ainslie Willis pitched a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts. She scattered four hits with eight strikeouts in the Warriors' 12-2 win over Merryville on Tuesday in the regional round.
South Beauregard (17-15), DeQuincy (17-14) and Starks are trying to end long state tournament droughts. The Tigers last played in Sulphur in 2014 while the Panthers' last appearance was in 2015. Both will hit the road in the quarterfinals.
Class C No. 7 Starks (14-5) plays No. 2 Northside Christian (12-7) at 5 p.m. today, while Non-select Division IV No. 9 DeQuincy plays top-seeded LaSalle (31- 3) at 5:30 p.m.
South Beauregard has the longest state tournament drought of the three at 16 years.
The Non-select Division III No. 10 Lady K's upset No. 7 Many with six home runs in the regional playoffs No. 2 Pine Prairie (27-3) for a 6 p.m. game.
After losing at home as a four seed in the regional round in back-to-back seasons, Non-select Division III No. 6 Kinder (17-5) is one win from its first trip to the state tournament since 2022.
The Yellow Jackets play at No. 3 Jena (25-7) at 5 p.m. The Giants were semifinalists in 2024 and '23.
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