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All's Well That Ends Well: Back-to-back wins lift Lionettes past Creekview
Photo courtesy of John Tyler of Buzzzphotos.com
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
McKinney sophomore pitcher Chelsea Thomas pitched three complete games in less than 24 hours to lead the Lionettes in a come-from-behind win in their bi-district playoff series against Carrollton Creekview.
After dropping Game 1 on Friday, the Lionettes won back-to-back contests Saturday to advance. They tied the series with a narrow 2-1 win over Creekview in Game 2 before clinching with a more emphatic 6-2 victory in the series finale.
Thomas had a 1.66 ERA for the series and struck out 22 batters to just five walks.
The pitching duel between Thomas and Creekview starter Alex Lewis, who missed bats at an even greater rate, defined the series. Lewis kept the Lionettes’ order in check early on by tallying 21 of her 26 total strikeouts across her first two starts.
It wasn't until the third inning of Game 2 that the Lionettes managed to score a run. Courtney Derrick broke the drought with an RBI triple that scored Emily Marrs, who singled on after Lewis struck out the leadoff hitter. The Lionettes added another run that frame on an RBI single from Alyssa Fontillas to take a 2-0 lead – their first of the series.
Derrick was the Lionettes' most productive hitter during the series. She went 3-for-9 at the plate with a single, double and triple, drove in three runs, scored one and drew a walk. Thomas followed with a 2-for-6 performance that saw her drive in two runs on dual triples, score two runs and draw three walks.
Creekview struck back in the bottom of the third with a run of its own, but Thomas held them scoreless the rest of the way. She extinguished a Creekview rally in the bottom of the seventh by striking out the game's final batter to strand runners on the corners and preserve the win.
With the mileage on their arms piling up, the third meeting between Thomas and Lewis was, above all, a test of endurance. The Lionettes put pressure on Creekview early by loading the bases in the bottom of the first with two outs, but Lewis escaped the inning with a strikeout.
Thomas responded by striking out the side in the top of the second. It wasn't all smooth sailing from there for the sophomore pitcher, though. She opened the third by walking consecutive batters to draw a visit to the mound from Greenway, who tried to calm her down with a little off-topic banter.
“We didn't talk about pitching,” Greenway said. “We talked about my Spring Break trip and that kind of loosened her up a little bit and got a few smiles out of her.”
The routine worked, as Thomas retired three in-a-row from there to end the inning.
The Lionettes would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the frame by scoring three runs on Lewis, who was beginning to wear down. McKinney senior Lauren McQuestion led off with a single and moved into scoring position when the next batter, Jazsmine Nelson, was walked.
Thomas cashed in on the RBI opportunity by scoring both on a triple to put the Lionettes up, 2-0, with no outs. Creekview retired its first batter with a strikeout, but McKinney struck again by loading the bases on a bunt single from Appleby and hit-batter before scoring the inning's third and final run on an error.
The Lionettes would pick up three more runs in the fifth on an RBI single from Krissy Fontillas and two-RBI double from Derrick to go up, 6-1. The Lady Mustangs retaliated with a run in the top of the sixth, scoring on an error, but didn't manage to get back into the game.
Thomas never allowed Creekview to put a big inning together. She closed out her marathon pitching performance with a scoreless seventh despite being hit by a pitch in her throwing arm and also taking a line drive off it an inning prior.
“She got hit twice in the pitching arm,” Greenway said. “She's a tough kid and a hard worker. They all wanted the win really bad. It's been tough three years in-a-row not getting past the first round. This year we thought that it might happen. She stepped up and pounded the zone.”
With the win, the Lionettes advance to the area round for the first time since 1998. They will face Dallas Hillcrest in either a one-game playoff or best-of-3 series that starts at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at Frisco Heritage.
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