Guyer had state-ranked District 5-4A rival Ryan on the ropes for five innings on Friday. And then it fell apart.

Ryan blew open a 1-0 game with a seven-run sixth inning en route to an 8-0 win over the Lady Wildcats at Tina Minke Field. The Lady Raider win breaks the first-place tie between them and Guyer (15-7-1, 4-1) in the district, paving the way for Ryan to win its second consecutive district crown.

For the DRC/David Minton

Ryan's Sonia Foutch, right, and Whitney Haynes celebrate after Foutch scored a run against Guyer on Friday at Tina Minke Field. The Lady Raiders won the District 5-4A clash, 8-0.

“It may take us once through the lineup, but once we go through the lineup, we’re doing well,” said Ryan head coach Aimee Foutch. “As a team, we’re hitting .350-something for the year. I’m very confident they’ll put the ball in play and make things happen.”

Things started snowballing Ryan’s way in the bottom of the sixth. Clinging to a 1-0 lead, catcher Sonia Foutch doubled and was knocked in by Robyn Gorton. Two more singles loaded the bases with no outs for the Lady Raiders, opening the floodgates.

An error and a walk scored two runs, and Ryan got consecutive two-run singles to make it 8-0. Zoila Olguin hit the first one and Foutch hit the second one before Guyer finally got out of the inning.

“I wouldn’t call it a setback,” said Guyer head coach Keith Medford. “It’s disappointing. It’s not the do-all, end-all win or lose. We still have a bunch more district games to play. It’s one district game. In the big picture, it’s just one district game.”

Ryan (15-7, 5-0) opened the scoring in the fourth after three tense innings. Gorton opened the inning with a double and Micah Foutch knocked her in with a double down the right-field line to give the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead.

It appeared Ryan would have to make the one run stick as it struggled against pitcher Kylee Crosek. The sophomore kept Lady Raider batters off balance until the sixth, when Ryan put the game away.

Crosek also almost single-handedly tied the game up in the top of the sixth. Batting leadoff, she hit a one-out single and stole two bases to make it to third with two-hole hitter Caitlin Christopher at the plate.

But the Lady Wildcats couldn’t solve Ryan pitcher Brysten Luster, who allowed only the one hit to Crosek. In the high-pressure situation, Luster struck out Christopher swinging and went on to strike out three-hole hitter Maegan Anderson to strand Crosek at third. Ryan scored seven in the next inning.

“We did some good things that inning,” Medford said of the top of the sixth. “We got in the position we wanted to be in. We had our two big hitters up with Kylee at third. We can’t draw it up any better than that. Brysten did a real good job of shutting us down. Hats off to her.”

The win was the seventh straight for Ryan as it remains undefeated in district play and since going 0-6 in the Missouri City tournament. The Lady Raiders have allowed one run in five district games, including four consecutive shutouts.

“When you get to play a competitive team and are successful,” Foutch said, “it makes you feel good, but it also prepares you for future games. Anytime you can get a great game, that’s what you want and that’s what you want to see out of your kids.”

Ryan continues play in the Garland tournament today. It plays Flower Mound Marcus at 8:30 a.m., Rowlett at 1:30 p.m. and Mesquite Horn at 6 p.m.

For Guyer, the loss shows it has some work to do before it can compete with Ryan for the district title, although Medford and company can take plenty of positives away from a game that was more competitive than the score indicates. The Lady Wildcats play at Wichita Falls at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“It was a lot closer than 8-0,” Medford said. “That one inning got away from us. It was a great playoff atmosphere for five innings. That’s what we want.”

JEFF ANDREWS can be reached at 940-566-6873. His e-mail address is jandrews@dentonrc.com.

Ryan 8, Guyer 0

Guyer   000            000            0            --            0            1            3

Ryan    000            107            x            --            8            9            0

WP – Brysten Luster. LP – Kylee Crosek. 2B – R: Sonia Foutch, Robyn Gorton, Micah Foutch. Records: Guyer (15-7-1, 4-1), Ryan (15-7, 5-0).