No. 2 state-ranked Lady Oilers clobber Cy-Ridge 10-0, 9-1
May 8, 2026
The way the 2026 Pearland team is playing, they look primed and ready to return to Austin to challenge for their fourth state crown (1996, 2020, 2023).
Pearland head coach Michele Hyden was the assistant head coach to longtime friend and head coach Laneigh Clark who retired after 25 years as the 6A's winningest coach in Texas.
Hyden has proven she is capable of guiding the Lady O's to the 6A throne room as she has led Pearland to two straight district titles (15-1, 16-0) the past two years and now she is one game/series from the state softball tournament. Pearland is 34-5 overall.
So far, the Lady Oilers have outscored their playoff opponents 68-20 in seven games which means they are averaging 9.7 runs per game while holding their opponent to 2.8 runs per contest.
Three of the seven games have ended early with the 10-run mercy rule.
Pearland 10 - Cy-Ridge 0
Pearland pitcher Madelyn Guzman set the tone for this best-of-three series as she tossed a no-hit, no-run shutout while striking out 11 and walking only one. The righthander struck out 8-of-the-9 Cy-Ridge hitters as the game ended at the end of the 6th inning 10-0.
The top three hitters for Pearland provided all the fire power they needed to get the lopsided victory.
Leadoff hitter Anison Lopez was 2-for-5 with one run scored. Layla Bennett was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a triple and Payton Shugart was 3-for-5 with four RBIs that included three doubles.
After Pearland scored two runs in the top of the first and one in the second for a 3-0 lead, the Lady O's broke the game open with five runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth to put an end to the game.
The Lady Oilers finished the game with 10 runs on 13 hits and five walks.
Pearland 9 - Cy-Ridge 1
The game began with Cy-Ridge scoring a run in the top of the first frame and it appeared the Lady Rams might challenge the Lady Oilers.
However, Pearland pitcher Madelyn Guzman had full control the rest of the game as the Lady O's scored nine unanswered runs to capture the best-of-three series 2-0.
Guzman struck out 15 batters, allowed three hits and one run over seven innings while walking five.
The Pearland offense banged out 13 hits for nine runs to get the series sweep 9-1.
The game was relatively close for the first five frames as the Lady Oilers had a 4-1 lead including a solo home run blast to left field by Elaina Njus.
But the sixth inning saw the Pearland bats come alive as they scored five runs on six hits for the 9-1 lead.
Guzman retired the side in the top of the seventh to post the lopsided win.
Leading hitters for Pearland included Alaina Lopez (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Layla Bennett (2-for-4, 2 runs), Payton Shugart (2-for-3, 1 RBI), Payton Powell (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), E Njus (2-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, HR), and Dre Smith (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI).
Pearland will play either Cy-Fair or district rival Dobie in the Region III Div I finals. The Lady Oilers defeated Dobie twice in league play during the regular season.
