WILLIS DOWNS CUBETTES IN CLASSIC PITCHERS’ DUEL, 1-0
Willis out-lasted the Brenham Cubettes, 1-0 in a classic pitchers’ duel in a District 20/5A playoff seeding game, Monday night in Montgomery.
(File photo: Mark Whitehead)
The Cubettes’ Meg Morris and Lady Kats’ Casey Dixon locked up in a tightly-fought defensive battle that ended in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Kalynn Johnson singled home Mackenzie Parker with the game-winning run.
The win sends Willis (29-4) into tonight’s game to decide the #1 and #2 district seeds headed into the Bi-District playoffs. The Cubettes (18-10) will be the district’s #3 seed and face the second-place team (Elgin or Leander Rouse) from district 19/5A in the Bi-District playoff later this week.
Each team managed just one hit over the first seven innings. Johnson singled for Willis in the second, while Morris had a base hit for the Cubettes in the third.
Willis threatened to end the game in regulation, when the first two batters reached in the bottom of the seventh on a walk and the only error of the contest. But with runners at second and third with one out, McGee Eschette threw out the runner at home and Maddie Weatherly made the putout at first to end the threat.
But in the eighth, Parker led off with the third walk of the night followed by a single from Samara Lagway. After Dixon moved the runners up to second and third, Johnson ended the game with a line drive single to center that ended the game.
Morris took the tough loss, giving up just three hits over eight innings while striking out four, while inducing 14 ground ball outs.
Dixon, meanwhile, was overpowering as she struck out 17 Cubettes and retired the last 15 batters she faced.
The Cubettes should find out later Tuesday or early Wednesday who, when and where they will open the playoffs later this week.
The games will be heard live on KWHI and www.kwhi.com.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E | ||
| CUBETTES | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| WILLIS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
LP-MEG MORRIS (17-7) 8 ip, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 er, 4 k, 6 bb
WP-CASEY DIXON, 8 ip, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 er, 17 k, 2 bb
MEG MORRIS, 1-3, 1b
KALYNN JOHNSON, 2-4, rbi
SAMARA LAGWAY, 1-3
MACKENZIE PARKER, 0-1, 3 BB, run