3 teams begin softball playoff series

By Evan Mohl
The Daily News
Published May 6, 2010

Three Galveston county teams remain in the softball playoffs — two in the University Interscholastic League bracket and one in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools tournament.

Santa Fe and Friendswood come from the same district and will look to advance to the third round, where the two rivals could face off.

The Lady Mustangs begin their series today, while the Lady Indians play a one-game playoff Friday.

O’Connell has hopes of advancing to its seventh straight state tournament with a win Tuesday.

Santa Fe (28-7) Vs. Houston Waltrip (18-8)

• One-game playoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Pasadena ISD Fields

• Outlook: Since they earned the second seed out of District 24-4A, the Lady Indians get an interesting area round matchup in Waltrip, a district champion.

The Lady Rams have lost just one game in the last six weeks and have scored double digit runs in their last five games.

The success led to an honorable mention in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state rankings. Santa Fe wasn’t even mentioned at all.

But rankings are flawed and the Lady Indians should prove why. Waltrip has not faced competition like Santa Fe for most of the year.

In fact, the Lady Rams lost to Lamar Consolidated, 10-0, a team that finished behind El Campo in District 23-4A.

The Lady Indians swept El Campo right out of the playoffs last week.

Waltrip has an explosive offense with eight hitters batting over .300. Santa Fe can claim the same achievement, plus one more.

And the Lady Rams do not have anyone close to a Jocelyn Tacquard taking the mound. Tacquard has thrown two straight shutouts, including a no-hitter for the Lady Indians.

Santa Fe’s coach, Trish Leidy, usually likes to play three-game series so that one fluke contest doesn’t determine the team’s playoff fate.

But with Santa Fe prom this weekend, Leidy opted for a do-or-die game so her players could enjoy their weekend.

• Mohl’s prediction: I expect Tacquard to continue to shine. She’ll need to shut down hitters like Tiffany Bender (.472 batting average) and Kennedy Rodriguez (.434), but she should not have much of a problem.

Tacquard also will get plenty of offensive help from teammates Ciara Sunseri (29 RBIs), Arin McLaren (.349 batting average) and Micaela Bouvier (four homers). Santa Fe 7, Waltrip 1.

Friendswood (24-12-1) Vs. Houston Austin

• Schedule: Game 1, 6:30 p.m. today at Barnett Sports Complex; Game 2, 2 p.m. Saturday at Friendswood; Game 3, if necessary, following Game 2

• Outlook: Friendswood got a heap of postseason experience in a hurry last week.

Making the playoffs for the first time since 2007 — and having no one on the roster with any significant experience — the Lady Mustangs pulled off a 2-1 series win over Bay City, the 23-4A district champs.

They clinched the series in a nerve-racking 1-0 extra-inning win in the final game.

That experience should pay dividends, though Friendswood may not need it against Austin.

The Lady Mustangs own a huge talent advantage over Austin, who finished third in the relatively weak District 21-4A.

On the mound, Kelly Smith, the Southern Mississippi-bound Friends-wood ace, should dominate as usual. The Lady Mustangs top of the order, with Lindsey Davis (.373 batting average, 23 RBIs) Amber Mills (.421) and Rylie Kohls (.368, 25), has also been playing well.

Friendswood must not beat itself, like it did in Game 2 of the Bay City series when the Lady Mustangs suffered from defensive lapses.

And that’s where experience should come in handy.

• Mohl’s prediction: I don’t see how Austin can keep up with the Lady Mustangs. Friendswood sweeps the series.

O’Connell Vs. Katy Faith West

• One-game playoff: 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Galveston Lassie League Fields.

• Outlook: O’Connell seems to have gotten the postseason jitters out of the way after a rough first inning against Bryan St. Joseph’s.

After a brief lapse, the Lady Bucs looked like a team that had won six straight state titles.

But now comes one of their rivals, Katy Faith West, a team that has played O’Connell tough in recent years.

The Lady Bucs will be at home, and anytime Kristin Martinez takes the mound, it’s an advantage. Martinez will play at Kansas next fall.

Still, O’Connell must be careful and find a way to get the bats going. Some players just recently took new positions, which is not always easy to do the as the playoffs start.

• Mohl’s prediction: It’s been a rough year for O’Connell, but the Lady Bucs still have loads of talent. They also are playing together. O’Connell 4, Katy Faith West 1.

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