LONE STAR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!!
- IRVING, Texas - Midwestern State's Sarah Huddleston had a few things on her mind when she stepped up to the plate with the ball game tied and a runner in scoring position in the Lone Star Conference championship game Sunday at Southwest Park.
Abilene Christian's Jennifer Leal had pulled the Wildcats even with Midwestern by weaving a 2-0 gem earlier in the day to set up a winner-take-all final.
She and the Wildcats had played from ahead all day long and Huddleston was in a position to put the Mustangs out in front with an inning and a half to play.
"All I had in my mind was to choke up, shorten my swing and make sure you get a base hit right now," Huddleston said. "We really need something."
Racheal Jackson had led off the inning by scorching a double to the left-field fence and had narrowly beaten ACU second baseman Amber Jankowski back to the bag on Kelli Shaw's lineout.
Leal quickly worked the count in her favor before unleashing a 1-2 fast ball that tailed over the outside of the plate.
" Ping" was the sound the crowd heard. Huddleston didn't need to hear a thing, she knew she'd found the sweet spot.
"I didn't even see it hit the bat," she said. "Whenever I felt it on my bat, I thought, æOh my gosh, that feels so good.'"
The ball screamed over the infield and traveled towards the fence just right of dead center, allowing Jackson to scamper in to give the Mustangs the lead for good while Huddleston went in to second standing up.
She'd missed a home run by mere feet as the ball bounded off the eight-foot fence and fell about six feet back on the field.
MSU added three more unearned runs in the seventh to claim its first Lone Star Conference championship by overcoming ACU 5-1. It was Midwestern's sixth win over the Wildcats in eight tries.
"Geez, Abilene Christian was tough. I know we've done well against them all year long, but every game's been a battle," MSU coach Brady Tigert said. "I was really nervous going into today because they can play. They can swing it."
The Wildcats brought a .338 team average into Sunday's final, but couldn't solve MSU starter Brittany Willson, who dealt them two more losses in the tournament by limiting the potent lineup to three runs in two starts and a relief appearance.
The senior right-hander was named the tournament's most valuable player after spinning a three-hitter in the championship game with five strikeouts and a walk. Willson improved to 29-8 on the season and surged ahead of Southeastern Oklahoma's Christina Cearley with her 93 rd career win.
"We've been telling her for the last couple of years that she deserves this and that she's such a great ballplayer - a great pitcher," Tigert said. "She's the one that got us here and the other players put her in a great situation.
"She stepped up another level and got it done finally and she deserves every bit of that."
Huddleston joined her on the all-tournament team by delivering when it counted most. The senior second baseman finished the tournament with a .455 average, three doubles and five RBI. She was 4-for-7 with runners on base.
"I've always tried to make sure I can do well with runners on base," she said. "That's something I've always tried to focus on."
Sophomore Kristen Stonecipher, who was also an all-tournament selection, raised her season batting average to an even .400 after going 6-for-13 (.462) over the weekend.
All-tournament selection Allison Tidwell, a senior left fielder, hit .375 from the leadoff spot.
"They just show up, they laugh, they get along together, they play ball and we get after it. At this point in the year, I show up and let them play," Tigert said. "It's been easy and it's been fun."
The win assures the Mustangs of their third-straight trip to the eight-team South Central regional championship from May 11-15.
2006 Lone Star Conference Postseason Championship
All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player - Brittany Willson, P, Midwestern State
Midwestern State : 3B Kristen Stonecipher, LF Allison Tidwell, 2B Sarah Huddleston.
Abilene Christian: P Jennifer Leal, C Samantha Borgeson, 2B Amber Jankowski.
Southeastern Oklahoma: RF Elicia Marquez, CF Kylie Ferguson , P Christina Cearley.
Angelo State : CF Kandace Kubat.
Central Oklahoma : 2B Lindsay Tripp.
Texas Woman's: 1B Amanda Arnold.
+++ MSU +++