State-ranked Kingwood got off to a strong start to District 23-6A last week.
The schedule certainly heats up even more this coming Friday.
There’s nothing like a rivalry as the Mustangs welcome in Atascocita for the first of two meetings.
Ranked No. 9 last week, Kingwood certainly won’t overlook its lead-in game at Channelview Tuesday night.
Both games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. first pitches.
Kingwood (12-1-1, 2-0) opened last Tuesday with a 15-0 (4 inn.) win at Goose Creek Memorial before topping visiting North Shore 4-1 on Friday.
As sophomore Hunter Quentel spun a no-hitter against the Patriots, Lyndsey Gilman allowed just hits against the Mustangs.
Quentel struck out seven and allowed two free passes while throwing just 54 pitches. Her teammates came up with a massive night of hitting with five homers, led by Leilani Garcia with two. Addyson Sheppard, Quentel herself and Samantha Trzecki each homered as well.
Garcia tripled against North Shore and was the lone Mustang with multiple hits that night. Sheppard had a double.
Like Quentel, Gilman struck out seven in the circle and allowed one unearned run.
Channelview fell 17-1 to state-ranked Summer Creek and 12-10 to Humble. Its MaxPreps and GameChanger account are not updated with an accurate overall win-loss record.
The Falcons haven’t had much luck against Kingwood over the years. The Mustangs are 11-0 since 2008 and the teams last met in 2023.
Now onto the rivalry Friday night.
Atascocita (11-1, 2-0) thrashed C.E. King 11-1 and beat Summer Creek, which was ranked No. 12, 15-6 last week. That was the Bulldogs’ second defeat of the season.
Brileigh Davis homered, doubled and totaled five RBIs against the Panthers while Cailynn Ruzick, Kaitlyn Miller and Zoe Bridges homered against Summer Creek. All three had three RBIs, as did Morgan Marks, who was 4-for-5 with a triple.
Atascocita’s lone loss of the season came March 1 against Tomball Memorial, 4-0.
En route to the undefeated district title last year, Kingwood beat Atascocita 7-4 in February and 3-0 in March.
Kendall Yates homered twice in the first game while Quentel also went deep. As a freshman, Quentel pitched the complete game with seven strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
Sheppard doubled and totaled two RBIs.
Gilman (2⅓ innings) and Quentel (4⅔ innings) combined on a six-hit shutout in the second game. Quentel fanned seven Eagles.
At the plate, Sheppard, Mia Gagliardi and Quentel each had two hits.
Kingwood leads the all-time series 18-16. Atascocita’s most recent win came in March 2023.
Kingwood softball players (from left) Frei Pizarro, Mia Gagliardi, Lyndsie Gilman and Kendall Yates are seen before the North Shore game on March 7, 2025. (Noah Mabry/SportCast Media)
