How top-ranked Montgomery Lake Creek rolled into Class 5A softball championship
CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS
Montgomery Lake Creek 9, Frisco Heritage 0
Frisco Heritage had a tough draw facing Montgomery Lake Creek, the No. 1 team in the country according to MaxPreps, and pitcher Ava Brown.
Brown, a Florida signee, entered the game 25-0 this season and 80-0 in her career at Lake Creek.
Make that 26-0 and 81-0.
Brown tossed a three-hit shutout striking out 10 and walking one as the Lions dispatched Heritage, 9-0, in a Class 5A state semifinal on Friday at McCombs Field.
Lake Creek is the defending Class 5A champions, compiling a 40-0 record in 2022, and will play for another title at 1 p.m. on Saturday against New Braunfels Canyon (32-0).
Heritage (34-4-1) was making its first trip to the state tournament.
Lake Creek (43-1) pushed across the first run of the game in the bottom of the third. Shelby Winn led off with a soft liner to left center that dropped in for a hit.
Jolie Bazan, running for Winn, stole second before Maddox McKee lofted a double that glanced off the glove of Vyanna Quezada, close to the left field line, scoring Bazan for a 1-0 lead.
The Lions made it 3-0 in the fourth when Madalyn Davis singled to center with one out, stole second, then came home on a throwing error on a bunt by Payton Bauer. Bauer went to third on a wild pitch and later scored on anther wild pitch.
Lake Creek broke it open with five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a double to deep left center by Kalee Rochinski that drove in two.
Heritage starter Jensin Hall (25-3), who’s headed to Dartmouth, had only allowed eight earned runs all season, but was tagged with seven earned against the Lions on 10 hits.
McKee, Davis, Winn and Piper White all had two hits each for Lake Creek.
CLASS 6A SEMIFINALS
Pearland 3, San Benito 2
Pearland scored three runs in the third inning, without the benefit of a hit, and made it stand up, defeating San Benito 3-2 in a Class 6A state semifinal on Friday at McCombs Field.
Pearland (40-3) will play Denton Guyer (38-1) in the 6A championship game at 4 p.m. on Saturday back at UT-Austin’s McCombs Field. The Oilers will be seeking their third state title in seven appearances at state.
The Oilers loaded the bases in the third on three consecutive walks to Darian DeLeon, Hailey Golden and Kaylee Schweitzer. A wild pitch brought DeLeon home and with one out Kristyn Whitlock hit a sacrifice fly ball to deep right to score Golden.
Schweitzer went to third on the sac fly and came home when a pickoff attempt went into left field.
Bethany Aguilar opened the game for San Benito (40-6) with a single to left, went to third on an infield single to third by Elyssa Ruvio and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Kylie Sanchez to take a 1-0 lead.
The Greyhounds cut the lead to 3-2 in the top half of the fourth. Sanchez reached on an error and scored on a single to right by catcher Jozanna Montes.
Pearland didn’t get its first, and only, hit until Raenna Liscano doubled to deep left with two outs in the sixth inning.
Abigail Gutierrez pitched well for Pearland allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Amira Rodriguez and Emily Delgado pitched three innings each and combined for the one hitter. Delgado gave up the one hit and recorded four strikeouts. Rodriguez allowed the three runs, two earned with five walks and two Ks.
Denton Guyer 6, Cypress Bridgeland 3
Denton Guyer scored four runs in the second inning then held off Cypress Bridgeland 6-3 in a Class 6A state semifinal on Friday at McCombs Field.
Denton Guyer (38-1) will meet Pearland (40-3) for the 6A championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday back at McCombs Field. It will be the Wildcats’ first title game appearance in their second trip to the tournament.
Guyer designated player Erin Love went 2-for-3 for the Wildcats with three RBI and a run scored. Love highlighted the four-run second inning with a two-run double to left.
Bridgeland (36-8-1) answered with three runs in the top of the fourth.
Haylie Stum and Ellen Shull had RBI doubles and Danny Lopez had an RBI single to center. Shull’s double chased Guyer starter Finley Montgomery in favor of Jenny Robledo who recorded the final out of the inning by getting Rylie Marquart to ground out to first.
Robledo (13-1) pitched the final 3.1 innings to pick up the win allowing two hits, no runs with no walks and three strikeouts.
Love’s single to right-center in the sixth drove home Aubriella Martinez, who was running for Jordan Osborne, to up Guyer’s lead to 6-3. Osborne led off the inning with a single to left.
This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 12:18 PM.