Atascocita, Kingwood collide for berth
Atascocita coach Ashley Boyd knew it was a possibility.
Her team and Kingwood played well all year, they shared the District 16-6A championship, and as they continued advancing in the playoffs, a Kingwood-Atascocita matchup almost seemed inevitable.
Now it’s here, and Boyd couldn’t be more thrilled.
The Eagles and Mustangs collide in the Region II-6A final this weekend at the University of Houston’s softball field.
“It’s an exciting environment right now around here,” Boyd said. “It’s a great matchup any time we play Kingwood, and that rivalry that’s really built between Atascocita and Kingwood over the past two years is great.
“This is the matchup we all wanted.
“It’s a shame that we have to play each other now, because I think we’re both deserving of state, but it says so much for the community, this area and what we’ve done as coaches to really raise the bar and the standard for softball.”
Game 1 is 7 p.m. Thursday, Game 2 is 7 p.m. Friday, and Game 3, if necessary, is 3 p.m. Saturday.
This already is the Eagles’ deepest playoff run.
They fell in the third round the last three years, last year to Lake Travis and the previous two years to The Woodlands.
“It says a lot for this senior class,” Boyd said.
“These seniors have put a lot on their shoulders and expected a lot more of themselves, and they wanted to do more than they had done in the past, and they’re not ready for this season to be over.
“They’re not happy with just getting past the third round. They want to take it all the way to state. Austin is definitely on their minds.”
Boyd said the regional semifinals prepared them for a rematch with Kingwood. Atascocita lost Game 1 3-2 in 10 innings on a walk-off home run, then won Game 1 1-0 in the eighth inning on Kaitlyn Washington’s RBI single and Game 2 2-0 on homers by Shelby McGlaun and Tierrah Williams.
“(Belton pitcher Sidney Holman) threw 384 pitches against us, and we were no better off on pitch 384 than we were on pitch 1,” Boyd said.
“She was probably the toughest pitcher out there, and she prepared us well. Her and Madison Lindsey for Kingwood have similar approaches, so as far as that goes, we were prepared by probably the best pitcher in the state.”