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SOFTBALL: Waxahachie pulls even with North
By Travis Summers, McKinney Courier-Gazette
WAXAHACHIE - Through 14 outs of Friday's game against Waxahachie, McKinney North pitcher Ashliegh McLean appeared to be cruising to another dominant performance only one night after throwing a no-hitter.
McLean allowed only one hit - in the second inning - through the early stages of the second game of the 4A Region II semifinal series, but after she struck out Andi Allen for the second out of the fifth inning, the Waxahachie bats woke up.
The Lady Indians (28-12) scored eight runs on only four hits, all with two outs, to even the best-of-three series Friday with an 8-6 victory. North (27-8-2) won Game 1 Thursday at home, 8-0.
What happened was McLean gave up two walks and a double before clean-up hitter Sharri Polanco smacked a bases-loaded triple off the leftfield fence to give her team a 3-2 lead, its first lead of the series.
Another walk followed and Sedgwick brought in junior Lindsey Collings to pitch, but she walked another batter and gave up a single which allowed two more runs.
With runners at the corners and Waxahachie holding a 5-2 lead, catcher Brianna Banda smacked a three-run homer to straightaway center to complete the Lady Indians' gigantic turnaround.
"We just got lucky on that hit from [Polanco]," Waxahachie head coach Joni Vaughan said. "In this game luck plays a big part of things, and her hit shifted the momentum."
The major flaw that allowed Waxahachie to score eight runs on only four hits was a lack of command from both McLean and Collings.
"We've relied on our pitchers not to walk hitters all year long," Sedgwick said. "They walked a few tonight, but we'll be alright. This wasn't a catastrophe, and we're not taking this as a catastrophe. It's just another bump in the road."
The explosive fifth inning left North in a six-run hole with only six out left to play with, and when the Lady Bulldogs lineup went down in order in the sixth, it didn't appear that a comeback was in the works.
Still, North struck back with a rally that fell just short in the seventh.
McLean doubled to begin the final inning before a walk to Tayler Burnside allowed Haley Wagner to drive in McLean with a bloop single to left field. Junior shortstop Kathy Shelton then cleared the bases with a three-run homer to right, cutting the Waxahachie lead to 8-6 with no outs recorded.
The comeback appeared to be within reach when the Lindsey Post followed Shelton's bomb with a double and catcher Amy Kilpatrick walked. Both runners moved into scoring position on a past ball to put the game-winning run at the plate with no outs, but Tori Banda came on in relief and recorded a pair of ground outs and a strikeout to end the rally and the game.
Even through the comeback attempt failed, Sedgwick said it was important for building some confidence in his team going into Saturday's third and decisive game, which is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start at Coppell High School.
"That was huge," Sedgwick said. "We know we've got what it takes to pull this out. We just have to come out and prove it. I believe that we'll do it."
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