MIDLOTHIAN – The Flower Mound softball team may have to wait to pick up the most important win in the history of its program. Fortunately for the Jaguars, what happened on Friday was, in golf , a mulligan.
Unable to find the groove it had the day before, Flower Mound dropped a 6-0 decision to Waco Midway in Game 2 of a best-of-3 Class 6A Division I state semifinal series at Don Floyd Stadium.
Flower Mound managed just four hits off Midway pitcher Peyton Phillipp after getting eight hits off her in a 5-2 win in Game 1 on Thursday.
On Friday, Phillipp used an effective curveball and changes in speed to ring up seven strikeouts while allowing two walks. Flower Mound’s most serious threat was in the bottom of the fifth when Julia Balderas led off with a double to right-center and went to third on single to left by Avery Brock.
Phillipp regrouped to get a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a groundout to escape unscathed and eventually handed Flower Mound its first postseason defeat after seven consecutive wins.
“Their pitcher pitched the same as she did yesterday. I think they played better defense and were locked in,” Flower Mound coach Mark Larriba said. “We still hit the ball hard, but right at them. Maybe we need the ball on the ground more.
“For some of the girls they didn’t know what it was like to be in this situation and now they know. Melissa dropped a game in a situation like this and so did Forney and so did (Denton) Guyer. We know it’s coming down to Game 3 and we’re prepared for that.”
The third and deciding game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at Don Floyd Stadium. Flower Mound (27-9-2) will be going for its first appearance in the state-championship round. Midway (30-3), the 2024 6A state runner-up, will be going for its fifth title-game berth.
Flower Mound shortstop Adi Bicknell said her team not starting out fast was a factor. Midway was strong from the gate, scoring two runs in the first inning on a Phillipp RBI single to left and a Lillian Davis sacrifice fly to right,
Midway broke the game open with three runs in fifth, anchored by a RBI-double to right center by Philipp. Camryn Carter and Davis added run-scoring singles in the frame. Flower Mound drew first blood in Game 1 with a three-run third inning.
“We just kind of had the wrong mindset at first,” Bicknell said. “We just didn’t come out with a bang like we could have. It’s really important for us to come out strong and we didn’t do that. Tomorrow, I think we will follow through.”
Daphne Galason took the loss for Flower Mound. In 5 2/3 innings, Galason allowed four earned runs and seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts. Balderas finished 2-for-3 at the plate, including a seventh-inning single. Lanee Brown had two hits for Midway.
A silver lining for Flower Mound is Saturday’s contest is an elimination game. In the case of Bicknell, it’s a situation she believes she is prepared for, or at least she’s been looking forward to it for a long time.
“This is amazing. I’ve dreamed about this since I was in the fifth grade. I think we all did,” Bicknell said. “It’s exciting. We have to take in every moment.”
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