PLANO -- After the Lady Wolverines made easy pickings of McKinney North in the opening round of the postseason, Woodrow Wilson became the latest victim to be ousted by Wakeland.

Playing a one-game series, Wakeland dominated from start to finish on Thursday and eventually earned a 14-0 victory in a five-inning contest from Plano West.

"That start was big for us," said Chris Southard, Wakeland head coach. "It gave us an opportunity to play some younger kids and get them a touch of playoff experience."

With Wakeland playing the part of the visiting team, senior shortstop Brittney Gehle set the tone for the entire game during the first at bat of the night.

Gehle smacked a leadoff single on a pitch from Wilson starter Stephanie Lira and eventually came around to score on an RBI bunt single from senior third baseman Darian Dunn.

Gehle finished the night 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs batted in and also drew a walk.

With Gehle setting the tone on offense, it was senior hurler Hannah Newcomb sending an early message on the defensive end.

Newcomb struck out the side in order during the home half of the first, including a pair of three-pitch strikeouts.

"We always talk about the shutdown inning," Southard said. "We want to pound the strike zone and get outs."

Things went from bad to worse for Wilson in the second inning.

Lira walked designated hitter Meredith Owen to begin the inning and outfielder Haley Hicks followed it up by reaching base on a Wilson error.

The Lady Wolverines would load the bases in the next at bat when Lira issued a free pass to Gehle with four balls.

The Wakeland onslaught then began with Dunn and sophomore first baseman Jordan Swanner hitting a pair of 2-RBI doubles before Hicks and senior outfielder Monika Reichhardt added an RBI single each.

Wakeland's scoring in the second wouldn't end until eight runs had crossed home plate, giving the Lady Wolverines a 9-0 lead in the early going.

Newcomb then got Wilson catcher Nina Hernandez to ground out to begin the bottom of the second to make it four straight retired batters for the senior hurler.

Wilson's only hit off Newcomb would come during the next at bat when second baseman Brooks Vickery reached base on a bunt single in between the third-base line and the pitcher's mound.

However, Newcomb would get out of the inning having faced the minimum after the Lady Wolverines turned a ground ball into a double play during the following at bat.

Wakeland then faced a different pitcher in the third after forcing Lira out of the game in just two innings of work.

Lira surrendered nine runs on seven hits and four walks without striking out a single batter.

Carly Jordan got the task of following Lira in the circle and pitched the final three innings with similar results.

Wakeland added another four runs in the third when senior catcher Tess Soefje drew a leadoff walk and Dunn followed it by roping a double in the gap.

Dunn finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs.

Swanner, Hicks and Gehle would all add RBI singles in the inning before the Lady Wolverines eventually led by 13 runs after just three innings of work.

With such a big lead, Southard opted to rest Newcomb and put Hicks in for the final three innings.

Wilson wouldn't have much more success off Hicks though, as the hurler struck out six batters and surrendered just two hits during her three innings of work.

"Any time you can get a chance to get the younger players in, it's a good deal," Southard said. "It's something that they will remember."

Wakeland would add one more run during the fifth inning when Gehle belted an RBI double to make it a 14-0 advantage for her team.

Hicks then ended the game with one of her six strikeouts on the mound, putting Wakeland into a third-round matchup against either Wylie or Molina.

With Wylie entering the Friday night matchup as the favorite, Southard said his team will likely be in for a tough matchup.

"[Wylie] is always good," he said. "They play the game the way it's supposed to be played and are really fundamental."

At 29-6 on the season, the Lady Wolverines should be prepared for the eventual matchup.

"We just need to try and stay focused and get ready for the next game," Southard said.

No specifics for the game had been determined as of press time.

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