WHITEHOUSE, Texas-Hughes Springs led about five minutes, but Emory Rains scored 10 unanswered runs to claim a 10-2 win over the Lady Mustangs in a Region II-3A, semifinal softball playoff game Friday at Whitehouse High School's field.
The Lady Cats swept the best-of-three series, 2-0, following their 8-2 victory Thursday.
Rains (30-3) advances to the regional finals next week against Bells or Big Sandy Harmony while Hughes Springs ends its season at 32-6-1. Bells, the two-time defending Class 2A state champion, beat Harmony, 8-3, in its series opener. Game 2 is scheduled today.
Rains pitcher Chanlee Oaks tossed a four hitter Friday, striking out five. Oaks retired 11 straight to end the game following a double by Pearl Perry in the fourth inning.
Hughes Springs' Abbye McKinney started the game with a triple and Karman Searcy reached on a fielder's choice groundout.
When Searcy streaked toward second base, the Rains' third baseman's throw sailed into right field and both runners scored. That was all the scoring for the District 15-3A champion Mustangs.
Rains tied it at 2-2 in the bottom half of the first on one hit. Leo Terry drew a walk and Presley McAree hit a line drive to left field, which bounced away from the left fielder and allowed both runners to score on the inside-the-park home run.
The Lady Cats took a 3-2 lead 3-2 in the second on a walk and a RBI single by Alexis Kearney.
Rains increased its lead to 4-2 on a single by Catrin Hoffman and a triple by Kearney.
The Lady Cats put the game away with four runs on four hits in the fifth frame (8-2 advantage), and added two more runs in the sixth.
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Grace Pippen, Zoe Lanier (6) and Karman Searcy. Chanlee Oaks and Catrin Hoffman. WP-Oaks. LP-Pippen. HR: Rains, Presley McAree, 1st, 1 on.