Alicia Vasquez limited Belton to three scattered singles, and No. 10-ranked Mesquite Horn made a pair of second-inning runs stand up as the Lady Jaguars eliminated the Lady Tigers with a 2-1 victory in their Class 5A Region II quarterfinal softball game at Waco ISD Sports Complex.
Belton (22-13) - after rolling through the first two rounds with wins of 20-3 and 10-0 - never threatened until the final two innings, when its comeback bid fell short.
After Brianna Bozon’s run-scoring single cut the gap to 2-1 in the sixth, the Lady Tigers had runners at second and third with one out in the seventh. But Brynne Steger was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on Ashley Bucher’s grounder up the first-base line and Vasquez struck out Tayla Bishoff to end it.
“(Vasquez) changed speeds very well,” Belton coach Matt Blackburn said. “We hadn’t seen a changeup like that before. Other girls have thrown it, but that girl was able to throw it for a strike and keep us off-balance.”
After throwing back-to-back two-hitters to open the playoffs, Lady Tigers pitcher Jenna Roach (8-3) surrendered five hits in the second inning, including Blair Beard’s triple off the right-field wall and Taylor Bratcher’s double off the base of the fence in center.
Roach allowed only three hits - all singles - the rest of the way and Belton played error-free the entire night, but the damage had been done.
“She got the ball up a little bit and they had three hard hits that inning,” Blackburn said. “She kept the ball down the rest of the way and we got almost all groundballs out of her from then on.”
Bucher’s single in the third, Faber’s in the sixth and Kristi Moose’s in the seventh were the only hits for Belton, which had runners aboard in each of the first three innings yet didn’t score or leave a player stranded.
Horn (28-7-2), which had to overcome five errors, turned a double play in the first inning and Lady Tigers were caught stealing in the second and third to thwart their chances.
“(Vasquez) really stepped up tonight,” Lady Jaguars coach Patty Dyer said. “I didn’t think those two runs would be enough, but she made sure that they were.”
Horn advanced to face Spring or Houston Cy-Fair in the regional semifinals.
Belton, which was knocked out in the bi-district round last year, will try to build on its three-round run heading into next season.
“Our seniors are going to be hard to replace because of their leadership and their sticks,” Blackburn said. “I know it’s disappointing for the girls right now because this was not the best team we played all year. But this group of girls set a standard for Belton in 5A softball.”
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
