When you’re the starting pitcher, there’s nothing quite like a throwing a great game while your teammates are hitting bombs over the fence.
That was the story of junior Kat Mack Friday night.
Mack spun Grand Oaks’ second seven-inning shutout of the season as the Grizzlies won their fifth game in-a-row, 6-0, over Cleveland in District 13-6A.
Kiley Milligan, Jaz Leveston and Ava Butler each put one over the left-field fence while the Grizzlies (18-5, 7-3) also had four doubles and a triple.
“I’m hype and I love it,” Mack said of having the opportunity to celebrate those homers. “I’m the first one out of the dugout along with the rest of my teammates. We’re throwing our hands up. We’re up. It’s awesome.”
Mack went seven innings with nine strikeouts, three hits and two walks allowed.
“She’s done a really good job for us all year,” Grand Oaks coach Paula Miller said. “She’s mostly come in a relief position, just because she’s really solid. She’s going to hit her spots and she really doesn’t get rattled. I can bring her in bases-loaded no outs and she’ll do her job. Tonight, she was dealing and hitting all her spots, so she got the opportunity to finish her game.”
After giving up a double to open the game to Addyson James, Mack went on to strand that runner with three straight outs.
Three straights then turned into 16 straight outs as Cleveland (5-19, 0-10) didn’t have another base runner until a couple walks in the sixth inning.
“I feel like I pitched really great,” Mack said. “I had good defense behind me. I usually come in relief, so it was a great opportunity to get to come and start. And we hit well.”
An error, a single and a walk loaded up the bases in the seventh, but Mack got the strikeout to hold the Indians, who have now been shutout six straight games and have dropped 11 straight games.
Milligan got things fired up early for Grand Oaks. The junior slugged a solo homer over the left field fence, her fifth of the season.
It remained 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Grizzlies scored four runs. Leveston hit a two-run homer and finished 2-for-3.
“Jaz hasn’t had as many at-bats as some of the others,” Miller said. “And she had a really good night.”
Two batters after Leveston’s blast, Ella Brown doubled in a run. Up came Butler at the top of the order and the senior hammered her team-leading seventh homer of the year.
Senior Kaitlynn Torres added an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth, which set the eventual final score.
Junior Mayce Burkett doubled twice and Milligan also doubled. Larissa Taveres legged out a triple in the fourth inning after Butler’s homer.
Miller substituted the entire field around Mack in the final inning.
“It was a really good team effort,” Miller said. “This is two games in-a-row that – other than injuries – every kid has gotten to step on the field. My kids work hard in practice, so when we can, I like everybody to have some opportunities.”
After a 13-11 walk-off homer to Oak Ridge on March 12, the Grizzlies have bounced back gracefully.
Last Friday, Grand Oaks got a walk-off single from Butler in the eighth inning to defeat Willis. It then stomped Caney Creek 11-0 the following afternoon.
On Tuesday, Grand Oaks earned a crucial 8-4 win at The Woodlands to secure the season sweep over the Highlanders.
Grand Oaks entered Friday night alone in fourth place behind Conroe, New Caney and Oak Ridge.
“This district – we beat each other up,” Miller said. “We take turns on wins. So It’s something we talk about a lot with the team on not letting one game defeat you. It’s a grind. There’s a bunch of teams in the district that can get you. So we’ve been focusing on not looking past anyone and just taking it one game at a time.”
Team bond was the key to emerging from the three-game losing streak earlier this month, according to Mack.
“Our mentality changed from last year to this year,” Mack said. “We trust each other to pass the bat and trust each other to support each other when we fall down. I think it’s really coming through in the past couple games. We’ve really showed our improvement.”
Grand Oaks’ next district game is Tuesday at College Park.
Thursday’s game
Grand Oaks was able to get one game in at the Humble ISD Tournament, which was delayed a month due to poor weather in February.
The Grizzlies knocked off College Station 4-3 before playing just two innings against Kingwood before the game was rained out.
Against the Cougars, Julia Veilleux homered for the second time this week, a three-run homer in the bottom of the third to make it a 4-2 game. Torres and Milligan scored.
Milligan was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Larissa Tavares had a hit and scored a run.
Torres pitched five innings with three earned runs allowed. The senior struck out three, allowed three hits and walked two. McKenna Lemons pitched a scoreless sixth with one walk.
The tournament continues Saturday with Grand Oaks scheduled to play Kingwood Park (9:45 a.m.) and Summer Creek (11:30 a.m.) at Summer Creek.
Grand Oaks junior Pitcher Kat Mack (middle) slaps hands with her teammates during a game against Cleveland on March 28, 2025. (Jose Palomo/SportCast Media)
