Atascocita, Foster make softball finals; The Woodlands advances in baseball.
Area teams wind up 2-for-4 in semifinals as both Oak Ridge, Barbers Hill fall short
AUSTIN — The Atascocita softball program has an opportunity Saturday to play for history.
After a 4-2 win over Plano on Friday in a Class 6A semifinal game at Red & Charline McCombs Field, the Lady Eagles will get their first chance to play for a state title.
They are just two years removed from their last trip to the state tournament, where they lost in the semifinals.
“We got the monkey off our backs from a couple years ago,” Atascocita coach Ashley Boyd said.
Atascocita (33-7) will have the large task of playing MaxPreps top-ranked Canyon.
Boyd’s attitude when asked about playing Canyon was simply “bring it.”
“We’re not done,” Boyd said. “No team wants to get this far and then lose our last one. We’re excited. We’re going to celebrate this one, reset and prepare for Canyon (Saturday).”
Freshman second baseman Katie Cimusz had three of the four Atascocita RBIs against the Lady Wildcats.
Cimusz also made a brilliant play in the sixth inning when Atascocita first baseman Lesly Miranda nearly made an error on a roller. Cimusz backed up her teammate, gloved the ball and flipped it for the out.
“She’s a pure ballplayer,” Boyd said. “She doesn’t get rattled. She doesn’t make a moment any bigger than another one. It says a lot for her. We are confident with her everytime she comes up. She doesn’t try to do too much, and that’s the big thing.”
Atascocita is 11-3 in the postseason and came into the state tournament after a three-game series win over Katy.
FOSTER 8, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS 1
With a victory over topranked Fort Worth Arlington Heights in the Class 5A semifinals, Foster advanced to its first state title game under the direction of its alumna head coach.
“I’ve got a great group of girls around us,” Foster coach Keely Shuler said. “I knew that they had been putting in the work each day at practice and we’ve played some good teams. I just knew we could take it all the way.”
Foster (36-8-1), which has won 18 of its last 19 games, advances to play Forney, which defeated Barbers Hill 3-0 in the other semifinal.
Starting in the circle, Lady Falcons senior Kacie Pryor dazzled with a complete game, striking out 15 and walking one while allowing six hits and one earned run.
“She was on,” Shuler said. “I didn’t expect anything less from her. She shows up to play, she shows up to pitch. She’s an all-around good player.”
At the plate, Foster pounded out 13 hits with eight of the starters in the lineup producing at least one.
Kaitlyn Reinecke led the way with a 3-for-4 day and two RBIs.
Leea Dempsey had a two-run double in the second inning, and Alyssa Muceus also doubled to produce a run. The Lady Falcons had five doubles in the game.
COMAL CANYON 8, OAK RIDGE 1
Oak Ridge was upended by Max Prep’s top-ranked team in the country in the Class 6A semifinals.
Canyon (29-1) advances to the championship game for the first time since 2009.
Oak Ridge (26-12) had its chances early with plenty of baserunners, but it struggled getting the big hit.
There was a lot of emotion afterward for the Lady War Eagles, who were making their first state tournament appearance. It was the last game for coach Amanda Brimberry, who is taking a new job within Conroe ISD as the varsity softball coach at the new Grand Oaks High School.
“I think that the girls really wanted to win,” Brimberry said. “They weren’t happy just being here. I think they’re disappointed that they didn’t win.”
FORNEY 3, BARBERS HILL 0
It had been since March 1 when the Lady Eagles failed to score a run, but it happened again at the most inopportune time.
Playing in its first state tournament since 2014, Barbers Hill fell one game short of the state title game, losing to the Jackrabbits in the Class 5A semifinals.
Forney (32-6) advances to the championship game for the first time since winning the state title in 2011. The Jackrabbits advance to plays Foster, which topped Fort Worth Arlington Heights, at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Lady Eagles (39-7) were held to four hits and left seven runners on base in its first shutout defeat since a nondistrict game againstKingwood three months ago.
“When you get to playing this competition, it comes down to who gets the key hits in the big situation,” Barbers Hill coach Aaron Fuller said. “Tip your hat to Forney. They got the key hits when we needed them and we didn’t. I was proud of the way our hitters battled. We were just hitting it right to them.”
The Jackrabbits got on the board in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Trinity Cannon.
Their second run came in the top of the sixth. Freshman Vanessa Hollingsworth ripped a line shot that deflected off Lady Eagles pitcher Jessica Mullins’ leg and into right field. The RBI came on the heels of a leadoff double by Savanna DeRochers as her courtesy runner Charlie Hale hustled home.
Forney added an insurance run in the seventh inning.
Mullins went all seven innings. She allowed eight hits and two earned runs, while walking one and striking out six.