1-4 A Softball Regional : Clarksville halts Lady Cards’ run at regional
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
FARMINGTON - One big inning was Farmington's undoing Monday in the 4 A Region 1 championship game at Lady Cardinal Field.
The four runs Clarksville scored in its half of the third inning gave Haley McCormick all the run support she needed. The Lady Panther ace fanned nine and walked none in 87 pitches to earn the decision in the 5-2 Clarksville win.
"[McCormick ] was awesome tonight," said Randy Osnes, Farmington coach. "It was an outstanding pitching performance. She had us all fooled with the exception of two or three pitches that I think were mistakes on her part."
McCormick's 4-hit gem, allowing 1 earned run, followed the 16-strikeout performance she turned in during Monday's semifinal against Waldron. Tuesday's win secured a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye for Clarksville (25-6 ) in the 4 A State Tournament this weekend in Nashville.
Farmington's runner-up finish makes its road to a third state title more arduous. The Lady Cardinals (24-7 ) open state tournament play Friday against DeWitt at 1: 45 p.m.
An error in the outfield and a dropped third strike enabled Clarksville to bat around during its 4-run third inning. The Lady Panthers opportunistically rapped three base hits and drew two walks after the error. Sarah Jo Harvey and Kelsey Mefford both had RBI hits, but 3 of the 4 runs Clarksville scored in the third were unearned.
"Finally we got some sticks going tonight and got some runs, and Haley did what she does best," said Bob Mooney, Clarksville coach.
Lacey Kragel was one of the few Lady Cardinals to solve McCormick. She raked a 2-2 offering over the left-field fence for a solo home run that staked Farmington to a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Katy Chavis and Samantha Luther managed infield hits against McCormick in the Lady Cardinal fifth, with Luther's hit scoring Teighlor Williams. Kala Crisp's sixthinning single to center field was Farmington's final base knock. McCormick retired the final four hitters she faced, striking out the last two Lady Cardinals looking.
"Besides the one Kragel hit out of the park, there weren't too many solid hits," Osnes said. "We made at least four mistakes, three big ones in one inning. A good team will capitalize on those mistakes, and that's exactly what Clarksville did."
Farmington ace Skyler Smith allowed 2 earned runs on 8 hits and two walks but had trouble throwing her off-speed pitches for strikes. She labored through the third inning, throwing 49 of her 111 total pitches.
"She was missing on her change-up a little bit," Mooney said. "We didn't have to worry too much about that. We've been in a slump hitting, but we came out and hit Skyler. It seems like we hit the better pitchers sometimes. We just hit the ball, and Haley took care of the rest. " Dardanelle 8 Waldron 6 Dardanelle withstood a 4-run Waldron rally in the sixth to prevail 8-6 in the consolation game.
Jasmine Byers' 2-run home run in the Lady Lizard second gave Dardanelle (18-10 ) an early 3-0 lead. The lead shrank after Andrea Sims' 2-run triple in Waldron's half of the sixth, but Dardanelle's Cendyl Root retired the side in the seventh to preserve the win.
The victory makes Dardanelle a No. 3 seed in the upcoming state tournament. Waldron (18-10 ) will be a four seed when it opens state tournament play Friday.
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