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.
Email newsletter signup
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.
Featured Local Savings
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
NFL writer keeps word, gets tattoo after Broncos proved him wrong
Last summer, Peter Schrager (who worked for NFL Network at the time) predicted before the 2024 season that the Denver Broncos would make the NFL playoffs during a segment of "Good Morning Football." In response to that prediction, Jarrett Bailey tweeted: "If the Broncos make the playoffs, I'll get GMFB tattooed on my body." GMFB, of course, was a nod to Schrager's old show (Schrager now works for ESPN). Denver went on to go 10-7 in the regular season and reached the postseason for the first time since 2015. Schrager attempted to pardon Bailey and let him off the bet, but Broncos fans pushed back on social media. Eventually, Bailey gave in. He shared a photo of his new tattoo on his Twitter/X page last week: Lesson learned? Before the draft this spring, Bailey ranked the Broncos 13th out of 32 teams in his NFL power rankings for Touchdown Wire. This was his analysis of Denver ahead of the 2025 campaign: I love the defense. Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen deserve much more credit than they get, and Patrick Surtain just won the Defensive Player of the Year. And yes, I lost a bet to Broncos fans and Peter Schrager, which resulted in me needing to get a tattoo (cheers on the new gig, by the way, Peter). That bet stemmed from me saying they wouldn't make the postseason, followed by clowning the selection of Bo Nix. And while Denver proved me wrong, I'm still not sold on them being a powerhouse. That said, they'll be competitive and back in the Wild Card picture. Certainly a big improvement from when Bailey had the Broncos ranked 30th in his pre-draft power rankings last year. Kudos to Bailey for keeping his word. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Jay Glazer gives Broncos' weight room a glowing review
NFL insider Jay Glazer is no stranger to strength and conditioning, having served as a trainer in mixed martial arts for professional football players and athletes over the years. So it should also be no surprise that he enjoys weight rooms and strength programs. Glazer recently visited the Denver Broncos' facilities and marveled at the club's weight room. Glazer loved it so much that he not only broadcast it to his X (formerly Twitter) account but also rated it the best weight room in the entire NFL. The weight room has become an essential part of the success of NFL athletes, pro athletes, and athletes worldwide. For the Broncos, it's clear that investing in their weight room is a big part of their success, and under Sean Payton, they will need it now more than ever as they look to build off their 10-7 season and make a deeper playoff run. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Dianna Russini discusses Bo Nix and Broncos' outlook with Rich Eisen
Not all the experts are down on the Denver Broncos going into 2025! On the Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic talked about the state of the Broncos heading into 2025. "Let's just start with the star of the show with Bo Nix," said Russini. "He's different this year, Rich. He's a big boy now. I was with him last year (at) this time, and my favorite question to ask second-year coaches, quarterbacks, players even is, 'What's the difference? Take me through your first training camp compared to now.' Because Bo and I had spoken last year, he was so transparent. He's like, 'Whatever I was saying to you, was not true. I didn't know what I was doing!' He was so relatable. He was like, 'I was just trying to get through. I memorized the plays, I didn't understand the plays.' He went from just doing it to understanding the 'why' of it." Later on in the interview, Russini spoke about expectations around the Broncos from their ownership to players. "They are not afraid to talk Super Bowl," said Russini. "You know, sometimes you go to these teams and it's like, 'Let's just focus on today. We gotta make sure we get our lunch in; we got to get through this walkthrough.' This team's like, 'We want the Super Bowl,' which tells me they got the confidence because they're seeing it." That is great news to hear in Broncos Country! After having several mediocre years of not knowing who will be coach, quarterback or having a change in ownership, stability and championship expectations have returned in Denver. You can watch the entire eight-minute clip below for more. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
