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Collins Card: Klein gets clutch hits, stops to eliminate East in state semis, 6-3
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
AUSTIN -- Shutting a team down with runners on base and being able to score with two outs are two pillars any strong softball team needs, particularly in the postseason.
Klein Collins possessed both Friday afternoon and that is the primary reason the Lady Tigers advanced past Plano East, 6-3, in the Class 5A State Semifinals from Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin.
"Klein Collins was exactly what we knew they would be," said Karen Kalhoefer, East head coach. "They put the ball in play, play to contact and have a pitcher that can keep you off balance.
East was continually stymied in key hitting situations as the Lady Panthers stranded eight runners Friday, five in scoring position.
"We chased some pitches today," Kalhoefer said. "Maybe it was nerves or us just trying too hard."
Trailing 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Panthers had prime opportunities in the next two frames. East loaded the bases with one out in the fifth when senior Jacque Anthony drew one of her two walks to make it 6-3. Junior Sarah Morales then popped up to shortstop for a second out. But senior Holly Kern, thinking there were two outs prior, took off for home and was doubled off at third to end the inning.
"I don't know what happened there ... I ... I just don't know," Kern said.
East had another solid chance in the sixth when senior Rachel Scott, who was playing on her future home field with fellow Texas signee Kern, stepped up with two outs and runners at second and third. Collins pitcher Taylor Grissom, who picked up the complete-game win, induced a pop up to third.
"I knew I could perform in a spot like that, I guess I ... I just got a little too excited," Scott said. "It wasn't necessarily anything their pitcher did because I didn't think she was any better than what we had already faced, it just wasn't our day."
The same could not be said about Collins, which was stellar at the plate and in the field.
"We couldn't find the holes," Kern said. "But give credit to [Collins] because they were diving all over the place and making plays."
Demi Janak and Laura Lopez made respective diving catches in the second and third inning as part of a string in which Grissom retired nine straight East hitters.
That allowed Grissom to build up a cushion as Collins scored runs in each of the first three innings.
The Lady Tigers' first hit was an RBI single from Angelica Gonzales, who went 4-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Gonzales is just the third player in Class 5A State Tournament history with four hits in a game and first to accomplish the feat in 19 years. Collins added an RBI double from December Rivers to take an early 2-0 lead.
East cut that deficit in half in the bottom of the frame with a double off the wall from Kern. That drove in senior Chandler Cink, who scored two runs and was the lone Lady Panther with multiple hits. That was the first of three at-bats in which Kern nearly hit a home run. Her first went off the 212 sign and would have been out in most high school parks while her ensuing two plate appearances featured balls that cleared the fence in foul territory.
"Holly got a little frustrated with those (close calls)," Kalhoefer said, "but she is good enough to make the necessary adjustments."
Collins proved capable of making adjustments to Kern when it was up at the plate as the Lady Tigers added another run in the second and third to take a 4-1 lead.
East got a run back in the fourth with hits from Morales, junior Ashleigh Hinshaw and an RBI single by sophomore Destiny Garza, but found itself back in a 6-2 hole in the fifth as Collins scored its third and fourth two-out runs.
"Holly's screwball was on and jamming them," Kalhoefer said, "but [Collins] fought through it and got the hits they needed."
Those hits left East at a 6-3 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh.
"I still felt confident," Kalhoefer said, "because we have seen these girls do it before and believed they could do it again."
Grissom had confidence too though as she retired the side in order to give Collins a 6-3 win and spot in the Class 5A State Finals while ending East's run at the first team UIL state title in program history.
"We still had a great season," Scott said. "Going 35-4 is nothing to sneeze at."
Scott is one of three seniors, along with Kern and Cink, who have started for four years and played as freshmen when the Lady Panthers made it to Austin in 2009.
"What can you say about those girls; they started their careers at state and they ended them there," Kalhoefer said. "But it's not just those three; we needed the entire team to improve throughout the season to get to this point. Everybody was a part of this run and I'm extremely proud of these girls."
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