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Poteet soaks in playoff run but is hungry for more
By DEVIN HASSON/Staff Writer
The Poteet senior class will go down as one of the most successful in the tradition-rich history of the softball program.
But the Pirates are not ready to write the final chapter just yet.
After some tough postseason losses in recent years, Poteet has broken through with a run to the regional finals where it will face district rival Forney starting on Wednesday in a Class 4A Region II best-of-3 series. This marks the furthest the Pirates have advanced since 2003 when the team made their lone trip to the state tournament.
But the last two seasons ended in the regional quarterfinals at the hands of McKinney North.
The team finally got over that third-round hump against Waco Midway and after last weekend’s series win over Rockwall, they are one step away from the program’s second trip to the state tournament.
“I haven’t been in the program, but being at North Mesquite, I’ve certainly followed what they have been going through and we went through the same thing over there (North Mesquite) with Garland so I know what they have been going through,” first-year Poteet head coach Joe Huber said. “You could see a sense of accomplishment on their faces after that (Rockwall) game was over with. We just need to continue to focus on being the team we know we can be.”
It has not been easy for the Pirates, who have faced five elimination games in the four rounds. Yet each time Poteet has risen to the occasion.
In the first two rounds, the Pirates won the opening game only to have their opponent force a decisive game. Poteet was able to take care of business in Game 3 both times, defeating Waxahachie and Hallsville.
“We’ve done a real good job handling the pressure, and with us winning those earlier games, I think that has really helped us through to get to this point,” Baker said.
After a pair of series victories, Poteet ran into the third-round road block and because of the shortened schedule brought upon by the UIL postponement of play due to the swine flu scare, they knew they would have only one chance against Waco Midway, one of the top teams in the state.
The Pirates were again up for the challenge, as Baker tossed a two-hitter and the offense did enough to earn a 2-0 victory to move on.
“When we beat Waco Midway I think that really helped us to know we could do it if we believed in ourselves,” Spieker said.
Added Barsoum: “To get over the third-round hump was great but it only made us want to go farther.”
Poteet was forced to draw on the experience of playing with its backs against the wall once again last week after Rockwall won the opener of the best-of-3 semifinal series. The Pirates pulled out a 4-1 win on Friday to force a decisive game and then rolled on Saturday to a 9-2 victory to win the series.
“I think the seniors, being the leaders, just needed to stay calm and make sure that everybody else was calm, also. We just needed to stay focused and continue to have faith in each other,” Spieker said. “Those early experiences really helped build the team’s character and I think that was the reason we were able to come back and win two in a row.”
While most teams would feel more comfortable not having must-win situation after must-win situation, that experience could help Poteet in the next round. While the Pirates have played five games with elimination on the line, Forney, which is riding a 30-game winning streak, has only had to do so once in its one-game regional quarterfinal match-up.
“I think that gives us an advantage because even with all the pressure on us and knowing that the season can end with one game, we know we can do it,” Barsoum said. “We know that we can step up even more.”
The Jackrabbits do present a formidable challenge. In the midst of its 30-game winning streak, Forney won a pair of head-to-head battles against Poteet (5-0 on Mar. 10 and 6-2 on Apr. 3). But while the Pirates have come up on the short end in the first two meetings, they believe they have the potential to even the score.
“It is the mental side we have to focus on with Forney because we do not believe they are a better team than we are and we believe we can beat them,” Spieker said. “We’ve just got to get past the mental side and go out knowing we can do it.”
While Forney has gotten stronger as the season has progressed, so too has Poteet and with nearly two months having passed since the last time the teams met, those earlier games are nothing but a distant memory.
“This is not the same team that played those last two district games against Forney,” Barsoum said. “Everybody is hitting now and we made some changes defensively. We have changed a lot and I think we are a lot better team.”
And as Baker added, “The third time is the charm.”
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