Softball recap: Aledo wins DH to advance, Carroll falls to Flower Mound, Northwest headed to Game 3

Aledo 15, Abilene Cooper 2 (5)

Aledo 10, Abilene Cooper 0 (5)

Aledo dropped the first game on Thursday, but came back to trounce Abilene Cooper with two run-rule victories to win its Class 5A Region 1 semifinal on Friday afternoon at Stephenville High School.

Aledo (27-7) advances to the Region 1 final and will face Justin Northwest (30-5-2).

The Bearcats exploded out the gate in Game 2 scoring 14 runs in the first two innings. Aledo benefited from two Cooper errors in a six-run first and had RBI singles from Marissa Powell and Morgan Brown as well as a bases loaded walk to Claire Byars.

In the eight-run second, the Bearcats brought out the big lumber highlighted with Powell blasting a grand slam home run to center and Madysen Boutwell following with a solo shot to left.

Powell went three-for-four at the plate with six runs batted in and two runs scored for Aledo. Boutwell was three-for-three with three runs scored and the one RBI on the homer.

Kaleigha Kemp hit a solo shot for Cooper (27-10) in the fourth.

In Game 3, Kayleigh Smith tossed a five-inning, four-hit shut out and the Bearcats continued with big innings with a six-run third and a four-run fifth. Smith struck out four and walked one.

Powell got the scoring started with a two-run homer to left in the third. Boutwell and Texas Ray followed with singles then Presley Hull blasted a home run to left to give the Bearcats a 5-0 lead.

Reagan Davis, Powell and Boutwell had consecutive RBI singles in the fifth. Powell went three-for-four again in Game 3 with three RBI and two runs scored to lead Aledo.

Flower Mound 12, Southlake Carroll 0 (5)

The Carroll Dragons’ deepest playoff run in 17 years came to an abrupt end in a Class 6A Region 1 one-game semifinal Friday night at Denton Guyer. Flower Mound advances to its first regional final to take on Prosper, which swept Boswell on Thursday.

Jaguar pitcher Landrie Harris threw a no-hitter allowing two walks and strikeout out 10 batters.

McKenna Andrews went 3 for 3 with five RBIs. Her first came on a squeeze bunt in the first inning that scored Logan Halleman. She added a RBI triple for 2-0 lead in the third. FM scored three in the inning to up its lead to 4-0 while getting RBIs from Carsyn Lee and Harris. Andrews finished with a two-run double and RBI walk.

Katie Cantrell singled in two runs with one out in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-0. Flower Mound would score four more times highlighted by a bases-clearing hit to right center from Lee, who had four RBI.

After hitting the lead-off batter in the bottom of the fifth, Harris struck out the side.

Lubbock Monterey 3, Justin Northwest 1

Justin Northwest rallied for a thrilling win in Game 1 against Lubbock Monterey, but the Plainsmen recovered to even the Class 5A Region 1 semifinal at one game a piece on Friday night at Abilene Christian University.

Game 3 is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, back at ACU.

Monterey (28-6-2) got a two-out, RBI triple from Tatiana Trotter in the first, a run scoring double by Makenna Sandoval in the third and a solo home run from Claire Decker in the sixth.

Northwest (29-5-2) scored its lone run in the top of the seventh.

Grandview 8, New London West Rusk 5

Grandview built an early lead then held off West Rusk in the rubber game of its Class 3A Region 2 semifinal on Friday at Rockwall-Heath High School.

Grandview (37-6) will face Emory Rains (35-1) later this week in the regional final.

Grandview scored three in the first on an RBI single by Caydin Blackmon, a bunt ground out by KK Moore to score London Cooper and an error on a Olivia Bauerschlag fly ball that plated Jada Hudson.

The Zebras scored single runs in the second and fifth to take a 5-0 lead, but West Rusk (23-6) battled back.

The Raiders scored three in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Grandview lead to 5-3, but a three spot by the Zebras in the top of the seventh killed the rally.

Blackmon relieved Faith Goodgion on the mound with one-out in the sixth. Blackmon allowed two unearned runs in the seventh, but got the last five outs, all on strikeouts.

Moore went 3 for 3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored to pace Grandview.

This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 12:45 AM.