The Bryan softball team seemed on its way to a statement victory over Belton, coming close to a beating that would make the rest of District 13-5A say 'wow.'

After a wild Belton comeback fell just short, the operative word was 'whew.'

Bryan allowed seven runs in a shaky sixth inning and two more in the seventh, but held on for a 10-9 victory Tuesday in a district opener on a cold night at Lady Viking Field.

The defending district champion Lady Vikes improved to 5-2 on the season. Bryan held its place rather than putting the Lady Tigers in theirs, but Lady Vikings coach Enrique Luna managed a smile after the close call.

"I'm not disappointed at all," Luna said. "My hat goes off to Belton. They could have easily folded when they were down 8-0. They stuck in there.

"I think we needed that wake-up call maybe. We were cruising, and all of a sudden they started hitting, and we didn't know how to respond. At the same time, we came through at the end when we needed it."

Belton, a preseason favorite to take the 13-5A title, dropped to 9-3 overall. The Lady Tigers have never beaten Bryan at Lady Viking Field.

"I think it's a spell they put on this field for us," Belton coach Matt Blackburn said. "The only teams we've had win here are JVs, and I think that in a small part weighs in the back of the kids' heads."

Leadoff hitter Ashley Lara smacked two triples and starting pitcher Michelle Stratta handcuffed Belton as Bryan charged to an 8-0 lead and threatened to end the game on the 10-run rule in the fifth.

Everything changed in the sixth. The Lady Tigers greeted relief pitcher Courtney Ford with a couple of hits, and the Bryan defense allowed two catchable balls find the outfield grass.

Stratta (3-0) resumed pitching, but another error and a couple of hits helped Belton put together a seven-run inning.

Bryan answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, getting a leadoff double from Stratta, a triple by Calli Wood and a double by Jennifer Saxby.

"My hat goes off to my team, too," Luna said. "We had to battle. The two seniors came through, and Jennifer Saxby, a sophomore, got another huge hit."

Two batters into the seventh inning, the Lady Tigers were within 10-9 after a leadoff single and a mistake by the Bryan left fielder that allowed a sinking liner to go for an inside-the-park home run.

The Lady Tigers loaded the bases with one out on two hits and an error. Stratta enticed the next batter to pop out, and then got a ground ball to shortstop Lara, who threw to third baseman Saxby to record the final out on a very close play.

"I think she was out," Blackburn said. "I asked the home plate umpire if he saw it the same way, and he said he did."

The Lady Vikings collected 14 hits, including seven for extra bases. Stratta and Saxby delivered three hits apiece, with Saxby driving in three runs. Stratta and Wood both had two runs batted in.

Bryan will take a break from district play this weekend, playing in the Fort Bend Elkins tournament.

• Larry Bowen's e-mail address is larry.bowen@theeagle.com.

Belton 000 007 2 -- 9 12 2

Bryan 140 212 x -- 10 14 3

Michelle Stratta, Courtney Ford (6), Stratta (6) and Calli Wood. Jenna Roach, Brynne Steger (4) and Allie Curry. W -- Stratta, 3-0. L -- Roach. 2B -- Belton: Jessica Whitley; Bryan: Stratta, Jennifer Saxby 2, Allison Ricke. 3B -- Belton: Victoria Alcozer; Bryan: Ashley Lara 2, Wood. HR -- Belton: Skylor Alford. Time: 2:01.

Bryan JV Silver 5, Belton 4: WP: Emily Peirce. Leading Bryan (8-1) hitters: Jessica Cooke 3-4, 2 2Bs; Jamie Botkin 2-3, 2B. Next: Bryan JV will play in Schulenburg varsity tournament at 1 p.m. Thursday vs. Sweeney.