SOFTBALL
First Time for Everything: The Anna softball team's historic run continue, making its first-ever entry into the UIL State Finals after rallying and holding on to beat Decatur 6-4 in the first 4A semifinal.
Anna jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning before giving those runs right back in the bottom of third and giving up the lead in fourth. Anna, down 4-3 in the fifth, scored three more runs thanks to some Decatur miscues. Anna then held on in the seventh inning as Decatur loaded the bases but could not plate any runs. Anna was outhit 15-4 but forced Decatur into leaving 12 runners on base. Anna also benefited from six Decatur errors.
Anna meets Huffman Graves in the State Finals on Saturday as it seeks its school's first state title 1968.
BASEBALL
Still Buckin': McKinney Boyd, for the fourth straight series, managed to stave off elimination and force a Game 3 thanks to another brilliant pitching performance by Jack Hagan, who is now 4-0 this postseason in elimination games.Hagan pitched a two-hit, complete-game shutout against the state's No. 1-rankled 6A team, which run-ruled Boyd in the first game of the series. Game 2's lone run came in the second off an RBI double from Jack Brinkley.Game 3 of the 6A Region II Finals is 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for the right to go to state.
Dragons Outlast: Southlake Carroll gave away two leads before a three-run home run in the top of the sixth gave it the last lead of the night and an 8-5 Game 1 win over Flower Mound in the 6A Region I Finals.
Southlake Carroll took a 3-0 lead early in the game before Flower Mound charged back on the strength of its own three-run home run in the third. Carroll grabbed the lead at 5-3 in the top of the fifth before Flower Mound scored two of its own in the bottom of the same inning.
Carroll has a chance to sweep the series and punch its ticket to state with a Game 2 win on Friday.
Swept Aside: Fort Worth Benbrook's season ended in the 4A Region II Finals as it fell 8-0 in a resumed Game 1 from Wednesday and then 13-4 in Game 2. Game 1 was suspended on Wednesday with Benbrook down 2-0 in the fifth. Kilgore added another six runs in the sixth and held Benbrook to just two hits.
In Game 2, Kilgore kept the scoring mojo going scoring 12 runs through the first two innings to take a big, early lead. Benbrook's offense could not match that firepower, only mustering four runs through the first two innings.
In only the program's third year, and without a home field of its own, Benbrook is set up for another run to the regional finals with just three graduating seniors.