By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
ARLINGTON – Richland and Burleson Centennial lived up to the hype during Game 1 of their Class 5A D1 area round series on Wednesday night at Mansfield Summit.
Stacy Jennings and Brooke Mayner went toe-to-toe for 12 innings until Richland catcher Kennedy Parry hit a walk-off 2-run home run in the bottom of the 12th to send the Royals to a 2-0 victory.
Game 2 is 10 am Saturday at Summit.
“She was pitching outside the whole time so I scooted more toward the plate and I was just waiting for the first pitch to hit something over their heads because they were so in,” Parry said.
“Definitely the biggest hit of my career.”
Jennings, the Richland junior and Angelo State commit, threw 146 pitches and 113 strikeouts in a complete game masterpiece. She allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and punched out 9 Spartans.
“I’ve never thrown that many innings in one game before,” Jennings said.
Mayner, a sophomore at Centennial, was just as brilliant, with 3 hits and 3 walks allowed, and 15 strikeouts. Mayner had a no-hitter going until 1 out in the 10th inning when Parry, of all players, broke it up with a single to center field.
Both pitchers were rolling through 3 innings – with 5 strikeouts each while there was 1 hit combined (Centennial’s Lexie Arthur). The Spartans would get their second hit in the 4th, but left the runner stranded, which would be a theme.
Centennial left 8 runners on base, including 3 in scoring position while aggressive base running would hurt the Spartans.
Richland got its first base runner with a walk in the 5th, who advanced to third until Mayner closed the scoring chance with a strikeout.
Centennial got a hit in the 6th, but tried to stretch it to a double. Richland’s defense was able to get the out on a run down to end the inning. Mayner struck out her 11th batter to send it to the 7th.
The Spartans got aggressive in the 7th with a runner on first and no outs. But on a bunt attempt, Jennings got the ball and threw it to first for the first out and the Centennial runner rounded second only to be caught on a run down, resulting in a 1-4-6-7 double play. Left fielder Alyssa Flores came in to cover third base and tagged the runner out.
Another defensive effort by Richland came in the 8th with Centennial holding runners on the corners and 1 out. After Jennings got the second out, Ava Ellis hit a grounder up the middle, but second baseman Sam Aguilar made the diving stop and glove flipped the ball to shortstop Mia Berain at second for the last out.
“Stacy was pitching great. She did a great job,” Parry said. “My second baseman Sam made that diving play. We all just connected and trusted each other.”
In the bottom of the 9th, Richland had the game-winning run at second base, but Mayner got a batter to hit a soft grounder to second baseman Gabby Saavedra.
Jennings sent down all 3 batters in the 10th and picked up her 8th and 9th strikeouts.
Parry broke up Mayner’s no-hitter with 1 out in the 10th for the Royals and later stole second. She was called safe, but after an appeal Parry was ruled out after hopping off the bag while coming up from her slide.
Centennial couldn’t bring a runner from first home to keep it scoreless in the top of the 11th.
In the bottom of the 11th, the Royals had the walk-off run at third base, but Mayner got a batter to ground out to Arthur at short.
Jennings gave up a 1-out single in the top of the 12th before getting back-to-back grounders.
“I was making sure my ball was moving all the time,” Jennings said. “I worked a lot of different pitches in a lot of sequences and I think that helped me out as well.”
Aguilar and Berain started off the bottom of the 12th with groundouts before Flores doubled to left field. On the next pitch, Parry drilled a fastball from Mayner over the center field wall.
“I was so happy for her,” Jennings said. “It was so amazing and I’m so glad she came through.”
