By Tony Eierdam
The Community News
Step two in the Aledo Ladycats run to the Class 4A state softball tournament will occur Thursday when AHS takes on 23-9 Saginaw at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Mansfield Summit High School.
The state-ranked No. 1 Ladycats (34-1) swept Sherman last week, 9-0, 3-2, in the area playoffs, with the winning run in game two scored in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out single by junior left fielder Andi Shahan that drove in sophomore catcher Easton Cook with the series-winning run. Cook almost ended the game herself, but her deep fly ball to centerfield hit the fence as she settled for a double.
Saginaw, the champion of District 6-4A, reached the regional quarterfinals by defeating Crowley, 2-0, last week in a one-game area series.
Pitcher Caitlin Crain, who is 20-7 this season with a 0.75 earned run average and 281 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings, leads the Rough Riders.
By comparison, Ladycat all-state hurler Whitney Canion (26-0) has 281 strikeouts in 137 innings with an area-best 0.10 ERA.
The rough Riders are led at the plate by shortstop Britni Soria, who sports a .462 batting average.
“Saginaw has one of the best softball coaches in the country in Hank Fulkerson,” Ladycats head coach Kevin Cook said. “We have had Coach Fulkerson at our school two years ago for a preseason talk on preparation. He won a Class 5A state championship at Richland, and he is trying to build a program at Saginaw.
“He will have his kids ready to play. We have to be able to get to Crain and make her throw a lot of pitches.
“Offensively, they are solid in the middle of the order, and we have to keep them off base. But what it all boils down to for us is that we have to hit the ball. I think our hitting was one thing that we surprised Sherman with. We also are going to have to play solid defense again this week. We work hard on our defense, and it showed against Sherman.”
WHAT: Class 4A Region I quarterfinal game
WHO: Aledo Ladycats vs. Saginaw Rough Riders
When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8
WHERE: Mansfield Summit High School
AT STAKE: A berth in the Region I semifinals
