GAMES
RANKINGS
Lake Creek's Ava Brown
LIONS SHARE: Lake Creek's team effort leads to State Final return; photo gallery preview
Coach Michelle Rochinski and her team of premier athletes decided to make a statement when they faced Frisco Heritage this morning--REPEAT OR BUST.
The opening game of the UIL-5A State Tournament at McCombs Field did not disappoint.
Both Lake Creek and Frisco Heritage initially experienced difficulties when attempting to get their base-runners across home plate--primarily due to the exceptional pitching and defense both sides have come to expect.
However, that all changed in the bottom of the fourth inning, when LSU-signee Maddie McKee (Sr. SS) sparked the Lions offense with an RBI-triple to bring home senior outfielder Jolie Bazan. Shortly after Madalyn Davis (Fr. 2B) and Payton Bauer (Sr. DH/OF) would run home off of two separate errors committed by Frisco Heritage.
With the score now 3-0, Lake Creek didn't have much trouble scoring after that.
Inning No. 5 saw the Lions score five runs to distance themselves from the Coyotes.
Florida-signee Ava Brown (Sr. RHP) began the score-fest with an RBI-double, followed by an RBI-double by freshman phenom Madalyn Davis, a two-RBI double by UTSA-signee Kalee Rochinski (Sr. C), and an RBI-single by senior OF Shelby Winn to make the score 8-0.
Brown would go on to add another run in the ensuing inning, via a sac-fly, which would ultimately seal Lake Creek's return to the UIL State Title game, which will be played tomorrow at 1 pm.
The reigning champs are just one game away from sealing their repeat. Stay tuned.
NOTABLE STATS
Lake Creek Softball celebrates their win in the 5A Regional Semifinals
THE RIVALRY: Lake Creek advances to Regional Finals with sweep of Barbers Hill
The last team to have beaten Lake Creek two years ago in the Regional Finals was none other than... Barbers Hill. The Eagles went on to win State that season. Lake Creek went unblemished last season to win State, so something had to give.
The matchup between Lake Creek and Barbers Hill was the most anticipated series in the UIL Softball postseason thus far. The Lions came in as the No. 1 team in country and Barbers Hill was the third-ranked team in the nation going into the game.
Suffice it to say, the two H-Town 5A powerhouses did not disappoint.
Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
Over the weekend, fan bases were flocking to the neutral location of Grand Oak High School to witness the spectacle. So much so, that there wasn’t enough room in the stands prompting spectators to watch from the rafters of the adjacent baseball field’s seating.
“It’s fun being able to put on a show, especially for the younger crowd and the fans,” said Lake Creek’s senior catcher Kalee Rochinski. “The fan-support is insane and that helps our drive and motivation to win and want to do bigger things.”
Lake Creek Sr. C Kalee RochinskiMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
The matchup was as close as it gets, primarily because of the pitching battle between Barbers Hill’s Hailey Nutter (So.) and Lake Creek’s senior right-hander Ava Brown (Florida-signee). The two aces combined for over 40 strikeouts in the series, which left little room for error on the batting side.
Lake Creek Sr. RHP Ava BrownMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
Lions' freshman Madalyn Davis ended up being the difference-maker in Game 1, with a walk-off RBI-single to give Lake Creek the 1-0 series advantage.
Friday’s Game 2 face-off provided slightly more action off the bat, with Rochinski initiating the scoring with a two-RBI double in the top of the first.
Subsequently, Barbers Hill would rally to score three runs in the third, making the score 3-2 before Lake Creek would tie the game in inning No. 5, on a bases-loaded HBP.
However, the play that decided the series came off a drag bunt in extra innings, made by none other than Madalyn Davis.
Lake Creek Fr. 2B Madalyn DavisMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
When attempting to throw Davis out at first, the Eagles 3B overthrew the ball into an empty right field allowing both courtesy-runner Abigail Etsay (Fr. UTL) and Davis to run home. That made the score 5-3 and eventually completed the sweep for Lake Creek to advance on to the Regional Finals.
Considering the reigning State Champs have become accustomed to winning games by five runs or more, this gave the Lake Creek stars an opportunity to showcase their resiliency.
“I feel like playing good competition, as a good team, proves how good you really are,” Ava Brown said. “Winning games by 10 runs... yeah, you’re good, but what competition did you face? Coming into this week we knew we’d have some good competition with Barbers Hill, but I felt like we capitalized great.”
Lake Creek will be facing Georgetown, starting Thursday at Mumford High School, to decide who goes to Austin for the UIL State Tournament.
Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
The Lions are loaded with college-bound athletes, and they will be bringing an entourage of supporters -- not to mention a record 81-consecutive win streak -- to the Regional Finals, as the last remaining Houston team in Class 5A softball.
“This is an insane feeling -- one that not many people get to experience,” Rochinski said. “We take advantage of the time that we have to play on the field with these girls. We don’t waste any moment of it, we’re grateful for everything. This is for the city.”