Van Softball Shuts Out Canton in District Matchup

Lady Vandals earn revenge with 2-0 victory after earlier loss to Canton

Apr. 3, 2026 at 3:18am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A vibrant, cubist-style painting depicting a high school softball game, with the players and field broken down into overlapping geometric shapes and planes of bold, primary colors.Van's softball team earns a hard-fought shutout victory over district rival Canton, setting up a crucial showdown with another top contender.Van Today

The Van High School softball team defeated Canton 2-0 on Thursday night, earning a shutout victory after losing to Canton earlier in the district season. Van scored two runs in the first inning and pitcher Jailey Potter and the defense made it stand up, with Potter striking out 10 batters over seven innings.

Why it matters

This win helps Van bounce back from an earlier district loss to Canton and keeps them in the hunt for the district title. The Lady Vandals are looking to avenge that earlier defeat and prove they can beat one of the top teams in the district.

The details

Van scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Tatum Horton and Mahayla McKinney. Pitcher Jailey Potter made those runs stand up, allowing no runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts over seven innings. Canton's Rylee Busby pitched well in the loss, allowing just two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.

  • Van entered Thursday night's game with 10 wins in its last 11 games, with the lone loss coming against Canton on March 10.
  • Van scored its two runs in the bottom of the first inning.

The players

Jailey Potter

The Van pitcher threw a complete game shutout, allowing no runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts.

Tatum Horton

The Van player drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the first inning.

Mahayla McKinney

The Van player drove in the second run of the game with an RBI single in the first inning.

Rylee Busby

The Canton pitcher allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts in the loss.

Lily Cervantes

The Canton player hit a walk-off home run against Van in the teams' previous matchup on March 10.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I think it really stung losing to them the first time through district. So, they dug deep, and they scraped two runs together in the first inning and then we played lights-out defense. Jailey pitched a great game and we helped her.”

— Baileigh Reynolds, Van head softball coach

“Our goal was definitely to score first and that really helped me just to be able to go at the batters and just know that I could trust my defense behind me.”

— Jailey Potter, Van pitcher

“I was so thankful. That's just me trusting my defense. I knew Averi had that ball and she does great things all the time.”

— Jailey Potter, Van pitcher

What’s next

Van will face rival Lindale, another top team in the district, on Tuesday night. Canton will host Kemp on Tuesday.

The takeaway

This win shows that Van is capable of bouncing back from a tough loss and beating one of the top teams in their district. It sets up a big showdown with Lindale as the Lady Vandals look to solidify their position atop the district standings.