Lady Highlanders fall to Deer Park in 5A title game

By: Brian Duval, WOL Sports Director

| Published 06/01/2014

AUSTIN - The Woodlands Lady Highlander softball team came into championship Saturday looking for win number 40 on the season and their second state championship in four years.

The Woodlands ends magical season at 39-4

Deer Park got on the board first when Haley Harrison scores from first base on a throwing error to make it 1-0 Deer Park. Next batter Caitlin Plocheck steps in and gets a hold of one over the plate and goes deep for a two-run home run over the left-field fence and just like that it’s 3-0 Deer Park.

The Lady Highlanders get the offense going in the top of the third inning, with Kayla McCallum on third and Amy Cimera on first, the Lady Highlanders put the double-steal on as Cimera steals second and here comes McCallum going for home, but is tagged out. Next batter Aubrey Leach gets Cimera home on a triple to left-field and The Woodlands is on the board and trails Deer Park, 3-1.

Deer Park (39-6) would respond in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs when Tyler Galena doubles to right-field scoring two Lady Deer making it 5-1 Deer Park with no outs.

That would do it for Abby Langkamp as Richard Jorgensen goes to Caitlin Bartsch. Bartsch would get two outs, then then number-nine hitter Erin Edmoundson gets a hit to find a hole up-the-middle, that scores two more and Deer Park suddenly has a 7-1 lead.

The Lady Highlanders had a couple of chances to get back in the ballgame, the best chance was in the top of the sixth with one out and the bases are loaded, but the next two batters, popped out to end the Lady Highlander threat. And that was a microcosm of how the game went, it just wasn’t the Lady Highlanders day.

Freshman Emily Langkamp came on to pitch in relief and looked sharp in the sixth inning in her state tournament debut.

The Woodlands tries to rally in the seventh when Kaitlyn Stavinhoa singles to right-field, scoring Sidney Salmans to make it 8-2. However the Lady Highlanders couldn’t sustain the rally and Deer Park takes the Class 5A Championship 8-2 over The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Lady Highlanders finish the magical 2014 season at 39-4 and Class 5A State runner-up.