Greg Webb
sports@weatherforddemocrat.com
May 19, 2008 12:09 pm
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FLOWER MOUND — There was a lot of traffic between the Lady Roos dugout and the throwing circle Friday as Weatherford head coach Phillip Beyer shuttled pitchers Jordan Wallace and Hannah Schnebley in the 5A Region I Semifinal contest against Flower Mound. Both hurlers were effective, combining to toss a second shutout in as many nights, as the Lady Roos ended Flower Mound’s season with a 1-0 victory.
“We started Jordan and then brought Hannah in,” Beyers said. [We] switched them out a couple of times and tried to do some things to keep [their batters] off balance a little bit. They stepped up in a big way.
“Jordan had a good screw ball tonight, but her curve ball was hurting a little bit. So when we tried to stay away from the [right-handed batters], we weren’t getting that call because she wasn’t getting that much movement.
Hannah throws every pitch, but the switch back to Jordan was to show her that I have every confidence in her. She pitched great for the innings she was in. She had the good screw ball against the slappers, kept the ball away and had success against them.”
Wallace started the game for two and a third innings, making a brief appearance again in the fourth. The freshman was dominate, striking out six of the 10 Lady Jaguars batters she faced and gave up no hits. Schnebley faced five batters between Wallace’s stints in the circle, and finished the final three innings, also striking out six Lady Jags hitters. The junior pitcher spread five hits over four and a third innings.
The Lady Roos scored the only run they needed in the second frame when right fielder Malorie Wakefield’s triple pushed teammate Hopi Perez across home plate. Mound’s pitcher Ashley Rother dodged a Lady Roos threat in the fourth and, save a couple of hits by the Weatherford girls in the sixth, pitched a very solid game, though she had trouble with Weatherford center fielder Shawna Henderson, who finished the game batting three-for three.
The drama came in the last frame when, after striking out the first batter, Schnebley yielded a double to Lady Jags hitter Alli Burkhardt. After a groundout pushed Burkhardt to third, Mound’s most dangerous hitter, third baseman Taylor Hoagland, stepped to the plate. Intentionally walking the home run threat, and with Hoagland reaching second uncontested which represented the winning run for the Lady Jags, Schnebley finished off the Flower Mound insurgence, striking out catcher Kayleigh Watts to end the game.
“If there’s one thing I know about number 16, it’s that I’m going to get the best pitch she’s got in a clutch situation,” Beyer said of Schnebley. “There was no hesitation at all [to pass on Hoagland].”
The Lady Roos move on to the regional finals with the series sweep. They play the winner of the Odessa vs. Coppell series, at a time and site to be determined.
Weatherford 1, Flower Mound 0
Weatherford (27-11) 010 000 0 — 1 7 0
Flower Mound (26-9-2) 000 000 0 — 0 5 1
Wallace, Schnebley (3), Wallace (4), Schnebley (5) and Tongate; Rother and Walts. WP — Wallace; LP — Rother. 3B — (WHS) Wakefield; (FMHS) none. 2B — (WHS) none; (FMHS) Burkhardt.
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