Friday, Apr. 25, 2008

Keller softball drops first game

By BRYCE NIEMAN

Keller's softball team lost the first game of a best-of-three bi-district playoff series Thursday night.

Flower Mound got three solo home runs and capitalized on Indians defensive miscues to take a 1-0 lead in the series with an 8-5 victory at Keller High.

The Jaguars' Taylor Hoagland and Jordan Jennings each assaulted the cars in the parking lot beyond the left field wall, with Hoagland also adding a solo shot off Keller's 2003 state championship billboard.

Hoagland's first blast kicked off the scoring in the first inning, but the Indians responded with two runs in the bottom half the inning thanks to RBI singles from Teri Lyles and Brooke Webster.

That 2-1 advantage lasted for two innings before Flower Mound posted a three-run fourth inning taking advantage of two Keller errors.

Flower Mound extended the lead to 6-1 after the top of the fifth, but Keller answered with two runs in their half of the frame. Lyles and Webster were again involved in the scoring. Lyles brought Mallory Wyatt around to score with an RBI single and a Webster double scored Katrina Williamson.

Wyatt knocked a two-out, RBI double into right field to score Rachel Carden in the bottom of the sixth, but that was all the offense Keller put together. Meanwhile, Flower Mound added runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to stretch out its advantage.

Jaguars pitcher Lauren Kennewell got the win for Flower Mound, while Keller's Sydney Williard took the loss.

Keller and the Jaguars are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Friday night at Flower Mound for Game Two of the series. If the Indians win, the third and deciding game is scheduled for noon Saturday at Grapevine High.