Published: March 12, 2008 02:00 pm            

Weatherford girls top Lady Tigers 3-0 in early District 4-5A victory

Mansfield stepped up to the plate with a purpose, and three consecutive hits in the first inning off Weatherford pitcher Hannah Schnebley Tuesday at Hall Field. After the lead-off Lady Tigers batter Aubrey Phillips lined out to center to start the game, the next three hitters loaded the bases. Schnebley snagged a comebacker hit by the next batter, her Mansfield counterpart, pitcher Morgan Rodgers, and got the force at home. Catcher Randi Tongate rifled the ball to first to complete the double play and the Lady Roos got out of the inning unscathed.

The Lady Tigers had posed their most serious threat in the first inning, managing only three more hits in the next six innings as Weatherford downed Mansfield, 3-0. Schnebley took away the lower half of Mansfield’s batting order in the game and any effective continuity by its offense, recording seven strikeouts against the Lady Tigers’ bottom four batters.

Mansfield entered the contest with a spotless district record and posed a formidable threat to the Lady Roos, who have struggled against the tough Mansfield club in the past.

“I’ve been telling my girls all year we have to play well against the people that are supposed to be good,” said Weatherford head coach Phillip Beyer, “and show up and hit the ball.

“Tonight is the first time they’ve hit the ball like that. We’ve seen [Rodgers] two or three years now and we know what she throws, and having that leg up and understanding how she’s going to try to get you out [helps]. We did a good job and hit the ball well.”

The Lady Roos wasted little time in putting up a score. Weatherford’s Megan Askew worked Rodgers to a full count before connecting on a drive to left-center that carried her to second base with a double. After Malorie Wakefield’s ground out advanced Askew to third, Randi Tongate hit a flyball to left-center that should have been sufficient to get Askew home on the tag-up. The Mansfield center fielder misplayed the ball, allowing the runner to score with ease.

Askew again figured into the scoring in the bottom of the third. WHS’s McKenzie Green reached base on a single and stole second before Askew slapped a drive over the right fielder’s head and took three, scoring Green.

The final run scored by Weatherford came in the very next inning, on the heels of a double by Lady Roos’ right fielder Shawna Henderson. Not wasting any time, Weatherford’s Chelsea Lee stroked the very next pitch into right, scoring Henderson from second base.

Though Schnebley was able to spread out the Lady Tigers’ hits after the first, Mansfield was not without scoring opportunities, as the Weatherford girls committed four errors on the night. Fortunately for the Lady Roos, timely defense and pitching helped them avoid any major problems.

“We turned two double plays to get out of a couple of jams,” Beyer said. “The bases loaded in the first, that could have gotten out of hand.

“The defense stepped up when they had to... we bent, but didn’t break. Sometimes they are going to make mistakes, but they’re young and [those mistakes] are correctable, so that’s a good thing. We have yet to play our perfect game and I believe that we’re going to get there.”

With the win, the Lady Roos stay in the hunt in district play with a 3-1 record. They can do no worse than a tie for first, as two other one-loss teams, Burleson and North Crowley, met on Tuesday.

“We should be there at the end,” Beyer said. “We’ve just got to keep playing and take care of people that we’re supposed to, play the teams we have to and give them the best we’ve got.

“Tonight, we didn’t necessarily have the best we can have, but when it counted and when we had to, we got the job done.”

With the district schedule ahead and competition figuring to remain a challenge week in and out, the WHS girls have to keep improving to stay in the mix, Beyer acknowledged that there is still work to do. Summit is up next, with the Lady Roos traveling to Mansfield Friday for a 5:30 p.m. start.

“Progress has been slow,” Beyer said. “With the weather, it’s been hard to get out and practice. Timing has been an issue, getting enough defense, ground balls [and such], has been an issue. But hopefully we can get three or four days in a row here and get some work done. And try to peak at the right time.”



Weatherford 3, Mansfield 0

Mansfield 000 000 0 — 0 6 1

Weatherford 101 100 x — 3 8 3



Hannah Schnebley and Randi Tongate; Morgan Rodgers and Brooke Taft. WP — Schnebley. LP — Rodgers. 3B — (WHS) Meagan Askew; (MHS) none. 2B — (WHS) Shawna Henderson, Askew; (MHS) none.

        

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