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Lady Wolves win cross-town showdown, 8-5A opener
BY Kevin Hageland Staff Writer
There were no odds set in Las Vegas and no over/under line overseas, but longtime fans of Plano East and Plano West softball could have easily predicted what to anticipate in the district opener between the cross-town rivals.
The game would have good defense, it was going to feature solid pitching, it was going to be low scoring and it was going to be close. All four of those axioms remained true Tuesday.
It wasn’t until the fifth that either team could get on the board, during an inning in which both teams scored. West was best in that frame, as it doubled up East to take control of the game. West scored two while holding East to one, for a 2-1 victory as district had begun.
West junior Dayna Purl, also pitching for the Lady Wolves, started the top of the fifth with a double to left centerfield. Sophomore Claire Roeschke was up next and she dropped a textbook bunt to put West runners at the corners with no outs. This is the third year Purl has been on varsity, but the first she has been in the lineup.
“I’ve been begging to hit for two years,” Purl said.
The Lady Wolves continued their fundamentals clinic throughout the frame as a sacrifice bunt from junior Breanna Phelps and sac fly from sophomore Stephanie Morgan brought the aforementioned runners home to give West a 2-0 lead in front of the rowdy St. Patrick’s Day crowd at East.
“Whoever strikes first gets that momentum,” Ledsome said. “But we knew the game was still far from over.”
Ledsome was right as the Lady Wolves two-run lead wouldn’t escape the inning wholly intact.
Lady Panthers senior Shelbee Young led off the bottom half with a shot to left center that pushed her all the way to third base. After a ground out, East got on the board with a bloop single to center by sophomore Alyssa Jones. Purl would strike out the next two batters, including an attempted bunter, but the Lady Panthers had pulled to within 2-1.
“That’s usually how these games are between us,” said Karen Kalhoefer, East head coach. “Both teams played well and I think the difference came down to bunting; we’ll definitely have to work on that tomorrow.”
East wouldn’t score again, but the Lady Panthers threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning. East got hits from Young and Jones to put runners on first and second base with two outs. The on-base duo accounted for four-fifths of the Lady Panthers hits against Purl, who struck out nine batters.
“That situation was pretty scary,” Purl said. “But it’s that pressure that keeps you going.”
East sophomore Meg Newman stepped to the dish next and she drove a shot to the outfield, but it was right to West’s left fielder as the Lady Wolves hung on for the 2-1 victory.
“This is a huge win because there are only 10 district games,” Ledsome said. “If you can get those first five then you have a chance to do really well.”
Before the fifth inning both teams had trouble getting much offense going as Purl and East senior Taylor Jones controlled the circle for their respective teams.
The Lady Wolves best opportunity came in the first inning as senior Laura Terrell led off the game with a single to left field. A ground out moved Terrell to second base and she did the next part herself by stealing third. Terrell would be stranded there though as a grounder back to Jones ended the early threat.
Jones, who had six strikeouts, retired the side in the next three innings, getting help from East senior McKenna Brown courtesy of an extending grab in the fourth.
“I thought TJ pitched great,” Kalhoefer said. “She really kept West off-balance and they are a great hitting team.”
The Lady Panthers first scoring opportunity came when they got their first hit, and that wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth inning. The elder Jones notched a double on a flare that landed just inside the left field line with one out. East attempted to move Jones to third via a bunt, but a lunging catch by West senior Valerie Johnson kept Jones at bay and Purl’s fourth strikeout ended the threat.
“Our team didn’t back down tonight,” Kalhoefer said. “They weren’t intimidated, they didn’t play scared and I’m really proud of these girls. I’m upset because we are competitors and we don’t like to lose, but there are still a lot of games left.”
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