Jonesboro survives thriller to win UIL Texas Class 1A state softball championship; live scoring, updates, recap

After watching a 6-0 lead slip away, Jonesboro comes from behind to win the 1A state title in a wild finish

Levi Payton | May 31, 2025

Fans cheer during UIL State Championship action at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The time has come for Class 1A powers Brookeland and Jonesboro to finally get a turn to compete for a 2025 UIL Texas state championship.

That time is 10 a.m. Saturday at McCombs Field in Austin, to be exact.

Brookeland’s run to the state final has been nothing short of dominant. The Lady Wildcats opened the season 3-4-2 following a 7-2 loss to Pineland West Sabine, but quickly found their rhythm. They responded with five straight shutouts, outscoring opponents 87-0 during that stretch, and carried that momentum through a nine-game win streak. They closed the regular season with a 2-2 tie—again against West Sabine.

Since the playoffs began, Brookeland has been nearly untouchable. The Lady Wildcats are 6-0 in the postseason and have outscored opponents 81-2. Broaddus is the only team to cross the plate against them, scoring twice in a 12-2 loss in the regional semifinals.

Brookeland opened with back-to-back 15-0 wins over Martinsville and Oakwood. They followed with a two-game sweep of Broaddus, then rolled past Avery 18-0 in the regional final. In the semifinal round, the Lady Wildcats shut out Leakey 11-0 to punch their ticket to McCombs Field.

Jonesboro caught fire at the right time and has ridden that momentum all the way to the 1A state championship game. The Lady Eagles opened the season 3-5 before piecing together a five-game winning streak, only to stumble again late with a 2-4-1 finish to close the regular season. But once the postseason started, they turned it on.

They opened the playoffs with dominant back-to-back wins over Strawn, 16-1 and 19-1. Jonesboro kept rolling in the area round, sweeping Abbott with 6-2 and 4-3 victories. In the regional quarterfinals, the Lady Eagles unloaded in a 21-2 rout of Blum before pulling out a tight 8-7 win over Dodd City in the fourth round.

That set up a semifinal series with Hermleigh. After dropping the opener 10-8, Jonesboro bounced back in a big way. The Lady Eagles forced a Game 3 with a 13-3 win, then clinched their spot in the title game with a narrow 7-6 victory to take the series.

Be sure to follow this page and check back often once the game starts for live scoring and updates that will expand in the space below.

In the meantime, check out our Class 1A-3A previews, as well as previews for 4A, 5A and 6A state championships.

You can also check out other state championship game results from Thursday's games for Class 2A Division I, Class 2A Division II, Class 3A Division I, and Class 3A Division II, or read up on Coahoma making history.

You can also watch the game (subscription fee required) on NFHS Network.

Brookeland vs. Jonesboro: Texas high school UIL 1A state softball championships; live scoring, updates, recap

Lineups

Jonesboro: Adalyna Andrade, CF; Emily Turner, C; Kyleigh Walker, 1B; Ally Thorman, SS; Ella Gustin, 3B; Lynlee Deats, 2B; Julie Henderson, P; Kylee Gould, LF; Landri McFarlin, RF.

Brookeland: Paige Powell, P; ReLea Bennett, LF; Cierra justice, 3B; Elisabeth Lundquist, C; Carlee Justice, 3B; Lakyn Mott, DP; Laney Shepherd, 1B; Kaelyn Strother, RF; Peyton Hunt, 2B.

Top 1: Jonesboro 0, Brookeland 0

Adalyna Andrade led off the game with a single but was later out on a fielder’s choice by Emily Turner. Turner, who reached first on the play, stole second and Ally Thorman walked with two outs to set up runners at first and second.

RUN(s) – Ella Gustin rolled and RBI single to right, scoring Turner with the game’s first run, 1-0.

Bottom 1: Jonesboro 1, Brookeland 0

Julie Henderson and Kylee Gould opened the inning with leadoff singles. Andrade followed with a 1-out single.

RUN(s) – Turner delivered and RBI single to right, scoring Gould to make it 2-0.

RUN(s) – Kyleigh Walker doubles to deep left. Turner and Andrade scored to push their lead to 4-0.

Bottom 2: Jonesboro 4, Brookeland 0

Brookeland wastes a leadoff single by Callie Justice and gets nothing in the inning other than that in the inning.

Top 3: Jonesboro 4, Brookeland 0

RUN(s) - Lynlee Deats smacked a 1-out triple to right and came all the way around to score on a throwing error. The Little League home run makes it 5-0.

RUN(s) – Julie Henderson followed Deats’ dramatics with a single and went to second on an errant pickoff attempt before Landri McFarlin singled to right to bring Henderson home to make it 6-0.

Bottom 3: Jonesboro 6, Brookeland 0

Paige Powell and ReLea Bennett drew back-to-back walks to open the bottom of the third and both runners moved up a base on a groundout.

RUN(s) – Elizabeth Lundquist drove in both runners with a single to right. Powell scored on the hit and Bennett wound up scoring on the throw when pandemonium ensued on the play. Brookeland trims the deficit to 6-2.

Top 4: Jonesboro 6, Brookeland 2

Kyleigh Walker opens the fourth inning with a double that one-hops the wall, but Paige Powell strands her there with a fly out and pop up to end the threat.

Bottom 4: Jonesboro 6, Brookeland 2

Lakyn Mott was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and went to third on a double by Laney Shepherd.

RUN(s) – Kaelyn Strother doubled to left, scoring Mott to make it 6-3.

RUN(s) – Paige Powell tripled to the gap in left center scoring Strother and Shepherd to make it 6-5.

KEY OUT! With Powell at third, ReLea Bennett hit what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to center, easily scoring Powell. But Jonesboro appealed to third base in protest that Powell left early. The umpire agreed and Powell is out, erasing the tying run and ending the inning.

Top 5: Jonesboro 6, Brookeland 5

Kylee Gould drew a 2-out walk but a groundout ended Jonesboro's half of the inning.

Bottom 5: Jonesboro 6, Brookeland 5

Lundquist singled with 1 out. Jonesboro changes pitchers as shortstop Ally Thorman moved into the circle.

RUN(s) - After Carlee Justice walked on four pitches, Lakyn Mott singled to right on a ball that went right under the second baseman's glove, scoring Lundquist to tie the game 6-6. That was a wild sequence. Mott gets credited with an RBI single on the play.

RUN(s) - Laney Shepherd made it seven unanswered runs with an RBI single to give Brookeland a 7-6 lead after trailing 6-0 earlier in the game.

RUN(s) - Kaelyn Strother joined in on the fun with an RBI single to make it 8-6.

A pair of pop ups ended the wild inning.

Top 6: Brookeland 8, Jonesboro 6

Two walks and a wild pitch put the tying run at second for Jonesboro with 1 out.

RUN(s) - Ally Thorman helped herself with an RBI double off the wall in left to make it 8-7. Runners had to hold up on the fly ball and only 1 run scored. Runners go to second and third with 1 out.

RUN(s) - Ella Gustin smacked a 2-run double to the alley in left center to give the lead back to Jonesboro, 9-8.

A grounder and a pop up ended the inning and limited the damage to three runs.

Bottom 6: Jonesboro 9, Brookeland 8

Brookeland got a runner on with 1 out when Jonesboro dropped a pop fly, but the mistake is atoned for when Cierra Justice was doubled off third to end the inning when she aggressively tried going first-to-third on a fielder's choice.

Top 7: Jonesboro 9, Brookeland 8

Good defense from Brookeland, and a diving play by Powell, allows Powell to throw up a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.

Bottom 7: Jonesboro 9, Brookeland 8

After a liner was caught for an out to open the inning, Lakyn Mott singled with 1 out to bring the winning run to the plate.

BIG PLAY! - Laney Shepherd doubles to left center. The ball rolled to the wall, and Malone - who got a late jump off of first - raced to third. She made it safely, but slipped off the back of the bag and fell down as she tried to apply the brakes. The relay went to third base and Malone was tagged out before she could get back to the base. 2 outs.

BIG PLAY! - In the most unbelievable, wacky ending, Kaelyn Strother grounded a ball past first base into right field with the tying run at second. It appeared the game would either be tied - or at minimum have runners at the corners with 2 outs - but Jonesboro right fielder Landri McFarlin was playing shallow and raced in, fielded the grounder and fired a laser to first to get a sliding Strother before she reached the bag. The play ended the game and clinched the 1A state title for Jonesboro.

Final: Jonesboro 9, Brookeland 8

RECAP

Baserunning miscues and some nifty late-inning defense by Jonesboro spelled the difference in the 1A state championship.

In the wildest game of state finals week, Jonesboro raced out to a 6-0 lead in the third inning and looked as if it would mercy-rule Brookeland. But Brookeland stunned Jonesboro and erased the deficit with 8 unanswered runs to take an 8-6 lead.

After Jonesboro took back the lead, Brookeland threatened to tie it on multiple occasions, but had a runner leave too early for home on a sacrifice fly, another thrown out at third for the third out of an inning, a third potential tying runner slip and fall while trying to stop on third and got tagged out and the final out of the game when a runner was thrown out at first on a hit to the outfield with the tying run headed to third.

Ella Gustin went 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI for the champs, while Kyleigh Walker went 2-for-2 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Adalyna Andrade finished 2-for-4 and scored a run, while Emily Turner, Ally Thorman, Lynlee Deats, Kylee Gould and Landri McFarlin also had hits. Thorman also had a double.

Speaking of Thorman, she got the win in the circle, improving to 6-4 after pitching 2.2 innings in relief. She allowed 2 runs on 5 hits with no strikeouts and a walk.

Laney Shepherd led Brookeland at the plate, going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, an RBI and scored a run. Elisabeth Lundquist, Lakyn Mott and Kaelyn Strother had two hits apiece, with Strother also adding a double. Paige Powell had one hit, a triple, and drove in a pair of runs.

Powell (15-5) went the distance for Brookeland, allowing 6 runs on 13 hits with 1 strikeout and 4 walks in 7 innings.