Instead, the Trojanettes fell in the title game to Elysian Fields, succumbing 2-0 to the Lady Jackets’ tough pitching and stifling defense.
After that loss, Troy coach Bobby Cervenka, then in his first year at the helm, said his young team would return. But the following year the Trojanettes suffered a hard-luck 5-1 loss to Celina in the one-game Region II final and were stopped short of getting back to the state tournament.
This year, the Trojanettes (34-3) - who have five seniors from the 2005 team - have been single-minded and have continued to get better as the postseason rolls on. Now they are one win away from the elusive state title and set to play Aubrey (31-2-1) for the 2A championship at 11 a.m. today at McCombs Field.
The outcomes in the past two years have given Troy’s team that singular focus, Cervenka said.
“All I can say about that is it makes you more determined,” he said. “We’re not going to be denied.”
The Trojanettes have faced three No. 1-ranked teams in the last three rounds of the postseason. In those six games, they’ve outscored Poth, Weimar and Coahoma 44-14, including two run-rule victories - most recently an 11-1, six-inning win over the Buldogettes in Thursday’s semifinals.
“You’ve got to still play the game, but experience is something that has to help,” Cervenka said. “It counts for something. They are comfortable out there.”
But the surging Trojanettes are taking nothing for granted.
“You can’t expect any team to be bad or anything,” said Troy senior catcher Shelby Shepperd, whose two doubles against Coahoma tied a 2A state tournament record. “You have to go into it and play like they’re the best team here and play your best, and hopefully you’ll come out on top.”
With another double today, Shepperd can break the 2A doubles record for a tournament and tie the all-class record. Troy can also become the second team since the state tournament limited its field to four teams per class to win both games by the 10-run rule. Shiner accomplished the feat in 2002.
Of course, the Trojanettes would be just as happy with a one-run win.
“We’re just going to have fun, play hard,” senior starting pitcher Michelle Ege. “We’re going to have to hit the ball, no errors, and just play our game.”
Ege (28-3) will face off against Kylie Roos (17-2), who hurled a perfect game in the Region II championship game. Roos didn’t give up an earned in the Lady Chaparrals’ 4-3 win over Pattonville Prairiland on Thursday, a game in which Aubrey trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh.
“They were down, and they showed a lot of firepower, I tell you what,” Cervenka said. “They’re going to be fired up Saturday. They’re a sound team. Their pitcher’s tough.”
Neither Aubrey nor Prairiland allowed an earned run in the semifinals. Aubrey committed two errors; Troy’s defense was flawless against Coahoma.
“We’ve been hitting very well, and hopefully we’ll continue to do that,” Shepperd said. “I have a lot of confidence in our defense, like our hitting, because we’ve been doing very good. I have so much confidence in our team, and I think that helps every game.”
NOTES: Troy is in its third state tournament appearance and has reached the title game each time. Aubrey is making its third appearance in the state tournament and second in the finals. . . . The Trojanettes eliminated the Bulldogettes, who have made nine state trips but have just one title (1998) to show for it. . . . Aubrey freshman Kacee Henderson brought the best batting average (.532) into the tournament but went 0-for-3 against Prairiland’s Lacie Cole. Roos’ .489 average is third, behind Ege’s .490. Roos went 1-for-3; Ege was 2-for-3 and drove in four runs. . . . In the circle, Ege allowed two first-inning hits and a walk en route to falling behind 1-0. But she retired 16 of the next 17 batters, allowing Troy’s potent offense to kick in after being shut down for three innings. She finished with eight strikeouts. Roos allowed three hits and struck out 16, a 2A single-game record. . . . In addition to Ege and Shepperd’s production, senior Catherine Snow - whose sister Hannah starred on Troy’s 2000 title team - had two hits, an RBI and scored three times. Troy pounded out 13 hits, getting a hit from every starter except one, and six Trojanettes had two hits. . . . Aubrey’s offense struggled until the seventh, when it benefited from infield singles and bloops to finish with six hits.
ecarifio@temple-telegram.com
