The Van Lady Vandals won their Class 4A area softball series with Farmersville. (Van Athletics)

Staff Reports

FORNEY — Van scored seven early runs and then held off Farmersville, 8-5, to capture a Class 4A area softball series that concluded on Friday.

The Lady Vandals won the series, 2-1.

Van won Game 1 (5-1) on Wednesday and the Lady Farmers won Game 2 (10-8) on Thursday to force a third game.

The Lady Vandals (32-3) advance to meet Sulphur Springs (22-7-2) in a regional quarterfinals series. All games are set for Lone Oak. Game 1 is 6 p.m. Wednesday with the second game slated for 6 p.m. Thursday. If a third game is needed it will be played at 6 p.m. Friday.

Farmersville ends its season at 20-12.

In Game 3, Van scored five runs in the first inning and two in the second en route to the victory.

Ava Hopson had three hits for the Lady Vandals, including a home run.

Averi Crouch also had three hits. Others earning hits were Emerson Swoape (2), Mahayla McKinney (1), Maylan Hale (1), Maddy Medcalf (1), Jailey Potter (1), Tatum Horton (1) and Lanna Tschirhart (1).

Hopson knocked in three runs with Medcalf (2), Crouch (1), Hale (1) and Horton (1).

Scoring runs were Hale (2), Swoape (1), McKinney (1), Crouch (1), Medcalf (1), Potter (1) and Hopson (1).

Potter pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and five runs.

Carleigh Deeds and Destiney Madewell had doubles for the Lady Farmers.

In Game 2, Madewell and Bella Holland each drove in four runs in Farmersville’s 10-8 win.

Hale had a triple with McKinney hitting two doubles and Hopson adding a two-bagger. Hale and Hopson also had two hits with Medcalf, Horton and Tschirhart adding singles.

RBIs were from McKinney (2), Hale (2), Medcalf (2), Crouch (1) and Hopson (1).

Scoring runs were Swoape (2), McKinney (2), Crouch (1), Hale (1), Potter (1) and Hopson (1).

In Game 1, Potter threw a complete game, allowing five hits and one run with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Medcalf had a triple with doubles from Potter (2), Hopson (1) and McKinney (1).

McKinney and Potter had three hits apiece with two base hits from Hopson and Swoape. Hale and Horton added singles.

Potter had three RBIs with Medcalf adding one.

Van won its bi-district series over Pittsburg 2-0 (6-0, 15-0), while Farmersville won over Kaufman 2-0 (9-0, 13-1).

Sulphur Springs defeated Quinlan Ford 10-3 in a one-game area playoff.