Burleson loses Game 1 on no-hitter

By Brent Shirley

bshirley@star-telegram.com

WACO -- Burleson didn't get a hit in Game 1 of the Class 4A Region I finals against Waco Midway at Baylor's Getterman Stadium.

Still, the Elks led going into the bottom of the fifth inning before Midway rallied to defeat Burleson on Katie Neal's no-hitter in a close 2-1 game Friday.

"We will have to settle in more tomorrow," Burleson coach Perry Young said after his team's first loss of the playoffs. "But I trust my kids."

Both pitchers, Samantha Montes for Burleson (32-4) and Neal for Midway (36-4), were dominant Friday. Neal struck out nine, seven through the first three innings. At one point, the hurlers combined for five straight strikeouts. Then Neal hit Montes with a pitch to start the top of the fifth.

"At that point in the game, I realized we needed to try to manufacture a run," Young said.

Courtesy runner Alexis Gracia stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Then, with one out, Burleson put on the squeeze play. Mackenzie Prescher bunted to Neal, who flipped the ball back to her catcher. The ball beat Gracia, but Midway's catcher couldn't hold on, as Gracia gave the Elks a 1-0 lead.

Midway didn't waste any time coming back. In the bottom of the fifth, Monique Miller, who reached base three times, bunted for a hit. Then she scored from first to even the score 1-1 when Alexis Rowe dropped a perfectly placed double down the left-field line.

Kelley Schafer finished the inning for Midway with a two-out, sharply-hit grounder past shortstop and into left field.

Neal retired the next six Burleson batters to end the game.

After the close loss, Young said he isn't worried about his players' confidence going into today's Game 2 at 1 p.m. at Workman Field in Arlington.

"We know we're better than them," Young said. "That's not even an issue. We think we are better; we just have to play better."

Brent Shirley, 817-390-7760

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