BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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Aledo finished off the regular season with 10 consecutive shutouts and didn’t allow a run since March 15 against Waco Midway. Coming into the bi-district round, the Ladycats were looking to take care of Colleyville Heritage and move on to area.
In Game 1 on Wednesday, senior pitcher Taylor McKean (Tarleton State signee) threw a gem – a five-hitter and struck out 14 as Aledo won 3-0 – extending its shutout streak to 11 straight. Tempe Perry, Austyn Marriage and Brooklyn Taloa were responsible for all three runs, which came in the second, third and fifth innings.
Perry, Marriage, Taloa, Delaney Rosser, Kaleigh Pawlak and Marina Taveras got hits for the Ladycats. Heritage pitcher Sammie Pham threw a good game with two of the runs being earned and finishing with four strikeouts.
McKean gave up a two-out single in the first but struck out the side.
After putting the first two Panthers on in the second, McKean again struck out the side to increase her strikeout total to six. She retired the side in order in the third and fourth.
The Panthers loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but McKean got another strikeout and a grounder to Taveras at short. Perry’s RBI sac fly made it 3-0.
Heritage threatened in the bottom of the seventh and had the game-winning run at the plate with the bases loaded off two singles and a walk, but McKean shut it down with her 14th strikeout.
In Game 2 on Thursday, the streak ended with an unearned run in the third, but the bats erupted for 12 runs on 14 hits as Aledo completed the sweep 12-1 for the Class 5A Division 1 bi-district championship. The Ladycats improved to 26-3 with their 12th straight win. They will face the winner of FW Paschal and Burleson in next week’s area round. Paschal and Burleson play a one-game playoff Friday night at North Crowley HS.
Perry, a freshman, threw all seven innings on Thursday with eight strikeouts. She is coming off her second GM Sports Media DFW Freshman Of The Week award after helping Aledo to another undefeated district championship and extending the program’s win streak in district play to 54 straight games.
Pawlak was the top batter – going 4 for 5 with two doubles, one triple and four runs batted in.
Kellyn Overturff added three hits and one triple.
Perry’s older sister, senior Addie Perry (UNT signee) stole two bases and scored four times.
Leading 5-1 after four innings, Aledo put the game to bed with six runs in the seventh.
Breleigh Mayer hit an RBI sac fly that made it 7-1. Aledo scored five more times with two outs. Two more came across on a Heritage error. Rosser (SFA commit) hit a double to left field and Addie Perry scored to extend the lead to 10-1. Two more errors on the Panthers resulted in the final two runs.
