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Alvord upsets Aubrey to earn first ever playoff win

By Robert Morgan | Published Thursday, May 14, 2009

Alvord High School has fielded one of the most successful girls athletic programs in Wise County this decade. The cross country and track teams are consistently competing at the state level and the basketball team has rarely missed the playoffs.

However, softball is the only sport not to enjoy much postseason success as it has not made the playoffs since 2001 and has never won a playoff game. That drought came to a halt Monday night in Keller where a freshman pitcher and her defense shut down an explosive Aubrey team in a 1-0 victory in the opening round of the Class 2A state playoffs.

Pitcher Harley Hooks, who was in first grade the last time Alvord made the state playoffs, is a big reason the team won its first playoff game in its 14-year history. The ninth grader struck out 12 batters, allowed just two hits and kept Aubrey batters frustrated all night.

"We knew that they have some really outstanding hitters, so I knew I had to pitch well," Hooks said. "I felt real good the whole game. It was definitely my best game of the year, and our defense played really well, too."

Aubrey, which won 25 of its 32 regular season games, saw its season come to a premature end at Keller Central High School. Alvord, meanwhile, moved to 17-12 for the season and will face DeKalb for the area championship at 6 p.m. Thursday in Royse City.

The showdown with Aubrey was a classic pitchers' duel between veteran and rookie pitchers that allowed a combined four base hits. Aubrey senior ace Kasey Carlock did everything she could to save the season as 17 of Alvord's 18 outs were strikeouts.

The difference in the game was Alvord's timing was one hit better. After seven straight strikeouts, the Lady Bulldogs ended the no-hitter when Hooks smashed a lead-off single to left field.

Hooks later stole second base and moved to third on a wild pitch to set up the scoring run. Naudia Batchelor lined a single to right field and just over the glove of the second baseman to easily score Hooks to make it a 1-0 ball game.

That game got interesting in the sixth inning when the Chaps put two runners on base thanks to an error and a walk with one out. That's when the Alvord defense rose to the occasion with a pair of gems on hard hit balls.

Junior right fielder Haley Jones made a shoestring catch for the second out, and sophomore Ashley Musgrave made a spectacular catch while sprinting in shallow left field to end the inning.

"My outfielders played so well and really saved us," Hooks said. "If they didn't make those awesome catches, just one of them, the game would had been even tougher than it already was."

It was only fitting the game concluded with another unthinkable catch when first baseman Holly Harris made a diving catch on a bloop single for the third out to end Aubrey's season.

Alvord's only other chance to score in the game came in the first inning when Hooks got on base via an error and Saphire Sumrow walked, which gave the Lady Bulldogs' runners the corners with two outs.

Aubrey escaped with no damage done when Carlock struck out the side for the first of five times in the game.

The Chaps' only real scoring threat came in the fourth inning when Amanda Nelson planted a two-out double in the right field corner to erase the no-hitter. Hooks answered with a strikeout to end the inning as her rise ball gave the entire Aubrey lineup fits throughout the night.

"It is unfortunate for our pitcher because she pitched a great game. Alvord scored when they had to and we did not," Aubrey coach Shon Ranton said. "Their pitcher pitched great. She had a nice spin on the ball, and she pretty much wore us out."