Archives > Sports Update
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Second Helping: Lady Panthers feast on Hebron in fourth
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
CARROLLTON -- The Plano East softball team needed just one cycle through its lineup to find a rhythm opposite Hebron pitcher Heather Stearns.
That groove morphed into an offensive blitzkrieg that paced an 8-1 victory Thursday evening and kept the Lady Panthers unbeaten in District 8-5A at 4-0 and dropped Hebron to 1-3.
"Every one of [these wins] has been tough," said Karen Kalhoefer, East head coach. "You look at the score and it didn't even seem like it was that. I still looked at it like it was 1-0."
An inning that required 38 pitches from Stearns and spanned 11 batters, senior Holly Kern got the ball rolling in the frame's opening at-bat, depositing a solo homer over the center-field wall to tie the count at 1-1.
The effects of the long ball trickled down from there, with pinch-running sophomore Haley Wisdom plated on a sacrifice fly by junior Sarah Morales. Junior Jacque Anthony followed suit, doubling during the inning and advancing home on an RBI single by sophomore Destiny Garza.
Garza's base hit was followed by a single from senior Brittany Sheehan and a walk to senior Rachel Scott, with senior Chandler Cink capitalizing with a hit that eluded diving left-fielder Amanda Sloper and permitted a bases-clearing double to up the Lady Panthers' ante to 6-0.
"For our second at-bats, I just challenged them to be more patient," Kalhoefer said, "instead of swinging at stuff or letting some pitches go by. We usually attack the ball and I think we let some get by and in those second at-bats, we sat on what was given to us and put the ball in play."
Cink, who went 2-of-4 with three RBIs, would find home one batter later following Kern's second trip to the plate that inning, as the pitcher dropped a ball just short of right-fielder Olivia Martinez for an RBI single, aided by a two-base error to cap the six-hit, seven-run frame.
"We got beat in one inning," said Staci Jackson, Hebron head coach. "That happens and I give Plano East credit because they've got great hitters, but it felt like it was a strike away or an out away from being 3-1 or still just 1-0, but they got the job done."
The Lady Hawks never recovered after seizing a 1-0 lead in the second inning, utilizing its speed and aggression on the base-paths to pace an early lead.
Deja Talton sparked Hebron early with a single to right field that was then parlayed into a stolen base and a trip to third on a passed ball. Following a groundout by Erin Payne, Talton timed her sprint home just as shortstop Scott made her throw to first and beat out a throw home by Morales for the game's first run.
"We've been harping a lot on base-running this year," Jackson said, "and that whenever we get on base to be aggressive. We did that very well tonight."
Following the Lady Hawk score, the team tallied all of three base-runners for the remainder of the contest. Kern spearheaded that effort, fanning 10 batters and allowing just two hits over seven innings of work.
Stearns was tasked with battling through a turbulent fourth frame, allowing nine hits on the night while striking out nine batters and walking two.
"Both of them are Division I pitchers," Kalhoefer said. "I think Heather pitched and mixed it up, but we made sure to attack. I was proud of Holly; she just attacks each batter as they come up, and she and (junior catcher) K.K. (Stevens) are working great right now."
Batting opposite the Baylor commit didn't phase Garza, who extended East's lead in the sixth inning with a solo homer for her second RBI and second hit in three at-bats.
The outing also cemented East's most productive offensive showing in district play thus far -- a mark the team looks to build on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Flower Mound. The Lady Hawks will look to right the ship at Plano West.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Sports Update «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
