Plano 4, Aurora Central Catholic 1:
Sometimes in softball, one bad inning spoils the whole game.
After the Class A Aurora Central regional final, the Chargers would certainly agree. Second-seeded Plano (19-14-1) scored all its runs in the second inning as it topped No. 9 seeded Aurora Central Catholic 4-1 Saturday.
With runners on second and third and one out, ACC’s Lauren Konop hit Cori Barkei’s pitch to third. Courtney Hoffman fired the ball home in time, but the ball came loose and the first run scored. A groundout scored a second run, and back-to-back singles extended the Reapers’ lead to 4-0.
“I told my team I didn’t feel like we won the game, I felt like we won the half inning, but sometimes that’s all it takes,” said Plano coach Bill Sanford.
Chargers ace Mallory Regnier relieved Barkei and struck out the next batter to end the second, but then came some controversy.
Scheduled to bat leadoff in the third, Regnier had to be removed from the game when it was revealed that she had not been listed on the Chargers’ lineup card.
So her sister, freshman Casey Regnier, came into pitch and she shut Plano’s offense down. She pitched 4 innings, struck out five, allowed 1 walk and 1 single.
“We didn’t expect to lose a step with her,” Chargers coach Justen Lehr said. “We look for big things out of her in the future.”
The Chargers struggled to get base hits. They hit the ball hard several times, but often right at the Reapers’ defense, who then executed to kill any hope of a rally. Plano turned three double plays in the game.
The Chargers managed only one base hit, a two-out single from Jasmine Alfaro.
Aurora Central scored their only run in the fourth. Barkei walked to lead off and advanced three bases on three wild pitches. In the same inning, with Kristen Brouch on first, Katie Rozanski belted a line drive to left-center that the center fielder ran down, and the Chargers’ offense never really got going again.
But after last year when the Chargers went 3-28, the turnaround to a 12-13-1 finish has been exciting for the players and for first-year coach Lehr.
“Now we come into games expecting to win,” Lehr said. “That’s going to give us a lot of momentum going into next season.”
— Adam Bartolo
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