3-3A softball

[panther power]

Stockton (3-3A 3rd place) takes on Wylie(4-3A 2nd place) in Midland tomarrow.

Monahans takes on Snyder tomarrow in Andrews

Greenwood gets a bye

[panther power]

Wylie girls start softball playoffs against Fort Stockton
By Troy Shockley / Reporter-News Staff Writer
April 29, 2005

The Lady Bulldogs are back.

And this time, they're hoping the better team wins.

The Wylie High School softball team returns to the postseason today with a bi-district playoff game against Fort Stockton at Mugs Field in Midland. The meeting comes almost exactly one year after the Lady Bulldogs fell in last season's bi-district playoffs, thanks in large part to three sixth-inning errors. Those three mistakes allowed Bowie to score two runs and sent Wylie home a 3-2 loser.

''I'm feeling really good,'' junior shortstop Lauren Davis said. ''I really think we're the better team, but we've just gotta play well and not make any errors. We've worked really hard to get to this point. We had some disappointments in district this season, but we've bounced back and I think we're heading into the playoffs strong.''

Wylie is no stranger to the postseason, but making a strong run has proven difficult.

''My freshman year we lost in area, and then last year we lost in the first game,'' Davis said. ''So that's one of our goals this year is to get past area. I know we can do it. We've just got to go out there and get it done.''

Wylie (6-2) enters the playoffs as the District 4-3A runner-up. Clyde High School (7-1) won the district championship and earned a first-round bye, while Snyder High School (5-3) finished third and will face Monahans at 7:30 p.m. today in Andrews.

Fort Stockton finished third with a 9-3 mark against district opponents and is also coming in strong. The Prowlers have won three straight, including an 18-0 shutout to clinch a playoff spot and an 11-1 rout in the regular-season finale.

Leading the Prowlers is senior pitcher April Singh, who is not only a strong presence in the circle but in the batter's box as well.

''Their pitcher does a good job of mixing it up and placing it well,'' Wylie coach Heather Collier said. ''But this is a tough, tough district we're in, and it isn't anything we haven't already seen. We've seen a lot from teams like Clyde and Snyder, and that's definitely going to help us.''

Of course Collier will also be counting on her own pitcher, Marlene Wyatt. The sophomore has been the Lady Bulldogs' ace all season and is excited to get another shot at the playoffs.

''I want to show a calm, but also be a force ready to go out and play hard,'' Wyatt said. ''We do want to break past that (area-round) barrier, and we can do that if we go out there and do what we know we can do. If we do that, there're no regrets.

''We all have the ability, and we're ready. It feels like it's time.''

Softball: Wylie vs. Ft. Stockton


What: Bi-district playoffs

When: 6:30 p.m. today

Where: Mugs Field, Midland

[panther power]

Prowler 9 win final district game in style
By Pioneer Correspondent

The Fort Stockton Prowler softball team played its last home game and district game of the season against the Seminole Maidens on Saturday at Prowler Field. The Prowlers had already clinched a playoff spot with a win over Presidio last week. The clinching was no reason for the Prowlers to take the day off and they did not, earning a 6-inning run rule 11-1 victory on senior day.

Senior April Singh was in the circle for her last game at Prowler Field and what a way to end your home career but with a 10-strikeout performance, scattering four hits to earn the win.
" This game was a real confidence-builder; everyone brought out their bats," Singh said. " This will give us confidence for the playoffs where we look to come out strong and ready to play."

The Prowlers' bats were equally as hot with a number of players registering multiple hits. In the first inning, the Prowlers jumped out on top with four hits that created four runs. Two of the four hits in the inning were triples.

The Maidens would get on the board in the fifth inning, scoring run to cut the lead to 4-1, but as all good teams do, the Prowlers answered with five runs of their own.

" It was great to see the girls win today. It was good because it was their last home game and I am really pleased for the seniors to have this season go the way that it is." Coach Ella Gonzalez said. " The girls have really done a great job playing together as a team, coming together and being able to overcome the problems that they have had. It's good to see them hitting. I know were going to do well and go deep into the playoffs."


The Prowlers would end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when " Little" Leyva would draw a one out walk then steal second base. Jessica Gonzalez would draw a walk as well and Leyva would move on to third. On the same play Gonzalez would take second while the Seminole catcher had the ball, on the throw to second Leyva would come in and the throw would get away from the second baseman allowing Gonzalez to come all the way around to score the 11th and final run.

" This was a good ending to the regular season." Coach Alphonso Chavez said. "Now the new season begins. I expect a lot of things from the girls and I really believe we are going to go really far into the playoffs."

The win ended district play for the Prowlers with an impressive 9-3 record in third place. The Prowlers will take on Abilene Wylie in the first round of the playoffs this weekend.

I would like to encourage any and everybody to make the trip to watch and cheer on the Prowlers!

[panther power]

LAMESA -- The Greenwood softball team lost to Lubbock Cooper, 3-2, in a practice game on Thursday.


The only runs Greenwood (20-10) scored came off home runs by Savanah Neely in the sixth and Amanda Dublin in the seventh.


"We did some things well," Greenwood coach Ken Ferguson said. "We're still looking for some more pitching and we didn't hit the ball the way we should have."


Greenwood, which received a first-round bye in the Class 3A playoffs, is still awaiting its opponent in next week's area round playoff game. Greenwood will play the winner of the Perryton-Levelland game at a time and place to be determined.


Practice Game

Lubbock Cooper 3, Greenwood 2


Greenwood 000 001 1 --2 7 3


Cooper 002 000 1 --3 9 0


Paige Crowell, Kim Smith (5), Crowell (7) and Veronica Carruth. Duff and Boris. W -- Duff. L -- Crowell. 2B -- GHS: Daisy Roman; LC: Egert, Herrera. HR -- GHS: Savanah Neely, Amanda Dublin.


Next: Class 3A area playoffs, Greenwood vs. Perryton or Levelland, TBA