Costly wild pitch proves difference in mound duel
Cypress Ranch’s onegame, Class 6A Region III area-round showdown against Clements was a wild one.
With one wild pitch, the Mustangs won.
Cat Crenek walked, took third on another walk, then scored on a pitch to Gabi Lopez that soared over the catcher’s mitt, supplying the only run in a 1-0 victory over the Rangers on Friday night at Katy Taylor.
“They’re a tough team, and any time, with a onegame series, it can go either way,” Cy Ranch coach Sarah Mueller said. “It was two pitchers battling it out.”
Mustangs starter Ashley Koncir, who signed with McNeese State, outdueled Syracuse-bound Miranda Hearn. Koncir had nine strikeouts with one walk and gave up five hits.
“Ashley’s a great pitcher,” Mueller said. “She holds her composure very well, and I expected nothing different from her. She’s been a great leader.”
Hearn was great, too. The senior held the Mustangs’ powerful lineup — their top six hitters are all hitting over .400 — to three singles in six innings.
But she lost a little control in the middle, and that was the game.
Hearn hit Tori Lopez and Sam Villarreal, both in the foot, in the fourth, but came away unscathed. But then she walked three and hit another batter in the fifth — and this time wasn’t as lucky.
“That made the difference,” Clements coach Laine Skelton said.
Hearn finished with seven strikeouts, three walks and three hit batsmen.
Clements’ bats weren’t in sync.
“It’s bitter because it was so close,” Skelton said. “You go back and you really wish that one hit would have come at the right time, when you have a quick runner on second or a runner on third, and it just didn’t come. And unfortunately some of my hitters, who’ve been clutch all season, had quiet games or got their hits at the wrong times.”
The Rangers (19-12) had runners in scoring position in three innings, twice at third, but came up empty.
Carly Herrera and Keagan Gold wait each supplied a double for Clements.
Cy Ranch’s only hit until the sixth was Karlee Canada’s infield single that died in front of the circle.
Bryce West and Crenek singled in the sixth for the Mustangs.
“Obviously, I would have liked more hits,” Mueller said. “But I knew it was going to be a battle, and the kids did very well, putting runners on base, making things happen, and capitalizing when they needed to.”
Now the Mustangs (25-6) are moving on — with regional championship support.
Girls basketball stars DiDi Richards and Ariana Whitfield sang and danced behind the backstop, and coach Tresa Hornsby, who led them to the Class 6A championship game in March, announced the game, giving the softball players the extra boost they required to return to the regional quarterfinals.
“It’s awesome any time we have any kind of Ranch supporters out here,” Mueller said. “We had great fan support tonight, and the kids loving hearing people out in the stands cheering. That gets them fired up.”