Sophomore pitcher lights out from circle leading Northwest over Azle in playoff opener
Despite coming into her first playoff appearance, Justin Northwest sophomore starting pitcher Abi Young was confident in herself and her team, and it showed Wednesday night.
Young went the distance allowing just two hits and struck out 10 as the Texans beat the Hornets 5-0 in Game 1 of their Class 5A bi-district series at Eaton HS.
Northwest (24-4-2) will take on Azle (19-11) in Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Eaton.
“I was honestly confident because our team has been proving we can go out and compete and it was very exciting,” Young said. “Abby, my catcher, caught a great game and it helped a lot being able to be confident in my teammates to back me up.”
The Texans got two in the bottom of the first inning. Josie Copeland’s RBI sac-fly to center field drove in Alexah Reyes. Courtney Candahl’s RBI ground out scored Sadie Reid for a 2-0 lead.
Azle’s pitcher Paige Anderson did her best to keep it close with a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the second. The Hornets got a runner on in the third, but Northwest catcher Abby Garza threw out a steal attempt.
Brooke Rutherford singled in Carolyn Candahl in the third and Northwest extended the lead to 4-0.
Young picked up her seventh strikeout in the fifth and ninth in the sixth. The Hornets left three runners on base during the whole game. Northwest added its fifth run in the bottom of the inning when Lubbock Christian commit Sadie Reid tripled in a run to deep right center.
“This just shows we can do things as a team,” said Reyes, who had three hits and two stolen bases. “If we put our mind to something, we can accomplishment anything.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 9:44 PM.
