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October 10, 2008

Duncan makes it four in a row with win over Chickasha

Judy Dines and the Lady Demons beat Chickasha 5-1 to advance to state

Ryan Hatch

DUNCAN — Head coach Robert Cowan knew better than to turn his back on a team that just earned a berth to the state tournament. Apparently, he knew what was coming next.

While the girls missed dousing their couch with the five-pound water cooler, they didn’t miss their chance to close out another regional final, beating Chickasha 5-1 behind the pitching of Judy Dines Thursday evening in Duncan.

Dines went the distance for the Lady Demons, striking out seven while walking one and scattering just four hits against the Lady Chicks. Dines was able to shut down the Chickasha offense on several occasions after Duncan made a few miscues in the field. The Lady Chicks were able to push across a run in last inning, but left two runners on base as Dines threw a ground ball to first for the final out.

“Chickasha’s a very good team and we knew that coming in,” Cowan said. “Yesterday we played a perfect game and luckily played well enough today to win.”

Caylin Lynch went 4-for-4 in the game, finishing with two singles, a double, and a triple along with an RBI in the third inning. She scored in the fifth inning off Sarah Harper’s ground out to second base.

Duncan’s defense committed a few errors on Thursday, but was bailed out each time by Dines, who kept the Lady Chick batters off balance all night by changing speeds and locating her pitches.

“We didn’t play as well tonight on defense,” Cowan said. “But she (Dines) gave us some chances to make more plays and we did.”

Ashley Green and MacKenzie Gibbs each scored a run in the fourth inning for Duncan. Gibbs stole two bases to put herself into scoring position, scoring on Ashlee Perkins’ RBI double. Kinzie Kennedy also added a run in the third inning, stealing a base and scoring on Lynch’s double.

“Got aggressive on the base paths,” Cowan said when asked about his team offensive performance. “We put some pressure on them and were able to score a few runs.”

Lynch provided the spark at the top of the lineup, but also played solid defense at first base, knocking down several errant throws and keeping runners at first base. The Lady Demons will need her and the rest of the defense to play nearly flawless in order to keep advancing in the state tournament.

Coach Cowan was happy to see his senior class advance to their fourth straight state appearance, but knows they still have some work ahead of them.

The Lady Demons will be seeded later this week, depending on other scores from around the state. Cowan said they will most likely be seeded fourth in the West division, facing Claremore from the East.

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