St. Joseph softball advances to state

WACO -- As St. Joseph's lead slipped away, that hump the Lady Eagles softball team was trying to get over took the feel of a mountain.

That spurred the Lady Eagles to greater heights. St. Joseph scored six runs in the eighth inning to take an 11-6 victory over Pasadena First Baptist Christian in the TAPPS Class 3A state semifinals Friday at the Waco ISD Athletic Complex.

St. Joseph (16-9) advanced to the state championship game for the first time in program history after losing in three previous semifinal appearances from 2005 through 2007. The Lady Eagles will play Galveston O'Connell (17-3) for the 3A title at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.

"It means so much to our team," said junior catcher Makenzie Mosier, who was one of four Lady Eagles collecting two hits. "It's probably the best thing that's ever happened to us."

The Lady Eagles seemed on their way to a bad loss after First Baptist (16-3) scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to forge a 5-5 tie. St. Joseph's usual plan of replacing starting pitcher Kelsey Dillard with shortstop Hollie Chennault after five innings backfired, with the reliever allowing two walks and a hit before Dillard returned to the pitcher's circle to prevent the Lady Warriors from taking the lead.

First Baptist grabbed the momentum, but the Lady Eagles didn't wilt. Freshman center fielder Marianne Damian and Chennault, back at shortstop, made nice catches as Pasadena went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, and then St. Joseph erupted in the first extra inning.

A one-out single by Ellie Lipscomb and an error on Hannah Watt's sacrifice bunt set the stage for Chennault, whose soft single up the middle gave St. Joseph the lead. The Lady Eagles added five runs with two outs, taking advantage of RBI hits by Dillard and Bailey DiStefano, along with three more Pasadena errors.

"We've got spunk," Chennault said. "We've got the heart to fight and come from behind. I'm so proud of this win."

The Lady Warriors nicked Dillard for two hits to start the eighth, but the senior right-hander retired the next three batters to start a celebration on the infield. Mosier got knocked down in a collision with an incoming runner, but quickly bounced up to join her teammates.

"Making history is great," Chennault said. "It means a lot to all of us, especially the seniors. I know they've worked so hard for the last four years and I came in and tried to help every way I can."

Chennault, who was a first-team All-Brazos Valley selection as a sophomore at Caldwell, transferred to St. Joseph before her senior year. She played spectacular defense against First Baptist, easily handling ground balls and pop flies in the 20-mph wind that gave Pasadena defenders fits.

"She was excellent and she's been like that all year," St. Joseph coach Lance Giese said. "It would be tough for a player in TAPPS 3A to be as good as she is."

Dillard (14-5) took advantage of Chennault's support, limiting First Baptist to eight hits and two runs in eight complete innings. Although Dillard usually pitches five innings, she handled the extra work well.

"I thought Dillard was tiring a little bit, but she battled like a maniac," Giese said.

Chennault, Dillard and DiStefano joined Mosier with two hits apiece. The Lady Eagles scored five runs in the third, when Watt and Damian both had hits and Mosier delivered an RBI single.

O'Connell beat Austin St. Dominic Savio 11-1 in the other semifinal.

St. Joseph 11, Pasadena First Baptist 6, 8 innings

St. Joseph 005 000 06--11 11 1

First Baptist 000 203 01--6 9 6

Halle Sabo, Alicia Zolan (8) and Jordan Smith. Kelsey Dillard, Hollie Chennault (6), Dillard (6) and Makenzie Mosier. W -- Dillard, 14-5. L -- Sabo. 3B -- St. Joseph: Chennault; First Baptist: Sabo. Records: St. Joseph 16-9, First Baptist 16-3. Time -- 1:49.