Arlington softball coach Tommy Edmondson has announced his retirement.
Edmondson, 60, led the Lady Colts for 14 seasons. He guided Arlington to five playoff appearances, including the past four years. Arlington won three district titles with Edmondson at the helm.
--Milenko Martinovich
Flower Mound knocked off Colleyville Heritage 5-0 in the opening game of a three game series in the Class 5A Region I regional quarterfinals.
Game 2 moves to Colleyville Heritage on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 if necessary is scheduled for noon Saturday at Grapevine.
Both games went down to the final inning, and Colleyville Heritage held off a ninth-inning Euless Trinity rally to win 5-4 and win the Class 5A Region I are-round series Saturday. The Lady Panthers (26-11) move on to face Flower Mound (24-6), who beat them in the bi-district round last season.
"It was intense, just really intense," said Colleyville Heritage senior Kerilyn Kerestine, who singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and later scored. "We knew we couldn't relax. We just had to keep going and going."
Colleyville Heritage scored all four of its runs to beat Trinity 4-3 in the series opener Friday, and hit around in the ninth inning Saturday to go up 5-1. The Lady Trojans (17-17) made it interesting though, scoring three runs and having the winning run left at second base.
Trinity missed on a chance to take a lead in the sixth inning. Stacy Haxel doubled and pinch runner Alyssa Gamboa stole third base. With one out, Amanda Birkheimer hit what looked like a sacrifice fly, but Trinity coach Jeff Lemons said he sent Gamboa home too early and she was doubled off to end the inning.
It took Colleyville Heritage seven innings, but the Lady Panthers finally adjusted to Euless Trinity pitcher Rebekah Shockey and rallied for four runs in their final at-bat to beat the Lady Trojans 4-3 in the opener in their Class 5A Region I area playoff series at Colleyville Heritage. The series continues at 5 p.m. Saturday at Trinity, with a third game to follow if needed.
Like the Lady Panthers, Trinity (17-16) needed a few innings before adjusting to the opposing pitcher. Kayla English struck out seven Lady Trojans through four innings before Trinity got her for three runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Lady Trojans did however, leave the bases loaded in the sixth.
Elizabeth Webster tripled home Jordan Keller to start the Lady Panthers' rally. Taylor Brookshire followed with a single to score Sarah Wilson, running for Webster. Colleyville Heritage then had three singles to load the bases and tie the game. Jessica Smith walked and forced home Mac Christensen for the win.
Richland had a chance in the sixth inning, but the Coppell defense made two good plays on hard-hit balls to keep its 4-1 lead and go on to win by that score in a Class 5A Region I bi-district playoff. The Cowgirls move on to face either South Grand Prairie or Arlington Martin, who play their one-game playoff Friday night at Mansfield. Coppell took a 4-0 lead when Richland came up in the sixth, but the Lady Rebels rallied with one out. With Shelby Simmons and Kailee Carr on second and first base, an Emily Burch flyball was dropped in the outfield and the throw in was wide at third base, scoring Simmons. Sarah Russell then walked, but a Karen Lehrmann line drive was knocked down by Coppell third baseman Tricia Van Winkle, who got the forceout at home. Pitcher Laura Ramos then stopped a Mariah Swartz grounder up the middle to end the inning. "You know that old cliche - it's a game of inches," Richland coach Kathy Patke said. "If Karen Lehrmann hits it two feet to the left, it's 4-3. It's games of opportunities and they cashed in on their opportunities and we didn't." Richland, who has just one senior on the varsity, ends the year at 17-10-1.
Kayci Wilson allowed one hit and struck out 12 and Joshua scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday to defeat Crowley 3-2 at Glen Holley Memorial Park.
Pinch hitter Shalania Richardson’s grounder to shortstop allowed Ashley Clifton to touch home. When she did, she collided with catcher Lauryn Smith, who tried to make a tag, which caused the ball to come loose and allowed pinch runner Britini Roberts to score the winning run from second base. Joshua (21-5-1) moves to 9-3 in District 8-4A, which is good enough for second place behind Aledo (11-0). Crowley (11-11) dropped to 7-5.
Crowley faces Cleburne (8-3) and Everman (0-11) to end the regular season. Crowley beat Cleburne 2-0 on March 21 to jumpstart a three-game win streak that has kept the Lady Eagles in contention. The Lady Owls will face Stephenville and Alvarado to round out district and have a non-district game against Burkburnett on April 19.
- William Wilkerson
Caitlyn Crain and Randi Frentress combined for 24 strikeouts, but it was Crain and her Saginaw teammates that came out on top at Birdville to stay atop District 6-4A on Friday. The Lady Rough Riders (20-8, 10-2) got a run in the first inning and picked an insurance in the sixth, but Crain was in command for most of the game. She struck out the first batter she saw and then seven straight at one point.
Fentress pitched well, giving up just three hits. It was the two walks and two Birdville errors, as well as Crain's pitching, that did in the Lady Hawks (11-9, 7-6).
Weatherford coach Phillip Beyer admits that his girls overlooked Mansfield Legacy the first time the two teams played on Feb. 29, in the Lady Kangaroos’ second District 4-5A game.
“Not to take anything away from Legacy but my girls know that they overlooked them,” he said. “They are a first-year program and no one expects them to beat anybody and they beat us 1-0. It was an unearned run and we didn’t hit the ball.
“That was so early in the year. Plus, that was our second game back from a tournament. District focus wasn’t there. Two nights before we played Aledo in a game (and lost 2-0) where some emotion came out in that game because they are our rival.”
Legacy (7-12, 3-7) will garner a lot more admiration from Weatherford (12-9, 7-1) this time around when the two face off Friday in Weatherford at 5:30 p.m.
“I don’t think that they will overlook them,” Beyer said. “I am hoping that this is a statement game. It is the start of the second round of district. We have been to the playoffs two straight years and are trying to make it a three years in a row.”
Weatherford has shut out its last six district opponents and picked up its first loss since its Legacy defeat on Tuesday in a nine-inning 7-6 loss to Midlothian.
- William Wilkerson
Wednesday's night softball game between Keller and Northwest was postponed again due to the inclement weather and field conditions. The two will make up the game at noon Saturday at Northwest. That was the earliest the game could be made up with Northwest playing a District 5-5A game Thursday and Keller playing Friday.
Recent Comments