Southwest falls at state tourney - mySanAntonio.com

UIL state tournament

Where: McCombs Field, Austin

Tickets: $5 student, $10 adult; $85 all-tournament pass

Class 5A

Friday's semifinals:

Deer Park 6, Lubbock

Coronado 1

The Woodlands 12,

Southwest 2

Today's final: The Woodlands (39-3) vs. Deer Park (38-6),

4 p.m.

Complete report C11

AUSTIN — The stands had mostly emptied and maintenance workers rushed into place to prepare for the next day's activities.

But their plans were put on hold. The Southwest softball team wasn't ready to depart.

The Dragons wanted a little more time to soak in the moment, even if it wasn't quite the one they desired — a 12-2, run-rule loss in six innings to The Woodlands in the Class 5A state semifinals on Friday before 1,340 at McCombs Field.

There were tears shed, but not for the reasons most imagined. They weren't because of the uncharacteristic five errors committed by the Dragons (34-12), and they weren't for the missed scoring chances normally capitalized on.

The tears were about the players remembering the road traveled to earn their first UIL state tournament berth.

“It is mixed emotions,” Southwest coach Sandra Hernandez said. “I wanted to tell them, 'You can't be making these mistakes here.' At the same time, they're 14-, 15-, 16-year-old girls. You have to take that moment and just reflect on the season. There were some tears. But they were happy tears.”

And perhaps no one understood that better than Southwest outfielder Amanda Sanchez. The senior missed the Dragons' regional final series against San Marcos with a concussion and was relegated to being an onlooker. She was cleared to play against The Woodlands (39-3), ranked No. 9 nationally.

“I will never forget this moment,” said Sanchez, who went 1 for 3 and scored a run. “I wish I could lie in center field for as long as I possibly can, just soaking it all in. It's such an amazing experience. It'll last a lifetime.”

What ended on a humid Friday, though, was the Dragons' best season, unraveled by The Woodlands' speed and placement hitting.

The Highlanders racked up 14 hits, but only six made it out of the infield. And by the time Southwest adjusted to its opponent's strategy, it trailed 7-0 after only two innings.

“They weren't getting gap shots,” Southwest junior second baseman Yanira Fernandez said. “It was like, 'What are we doing wrong?'”

tthomas@express-news.net

Twitter: @mysahighschools

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