Follis, Stamford softball close out Colorado City

A year ago, Stamford was rolling toward a berth in the state softball tournament.

Currently, Stamford is rolling toward a return to Austin.

Freshman Emma Follis picked up another win and capped the day with a three-run homer as the Lady Bulldogs trounced Colorado City 13-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Abilene High diamond.

Stamford swept a good Lady Wolves team in the Region 1-2A semifinal, winning the opener 2-0 on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs advance to play Forsan, which took out another good Abilene-area team, Bangs, on Friday. The winner of the regional title game goes to the state tournament.

Stamford is trying to get there for the third straight year, losing in the semifinals last year after winning the 2021 title.

'It's awesome to see the fight these kids have. They've been there, so the big stage doesn't bother them," Stamford coach Sean Slavin said. "They thrive in that atmosphere.

"Being senior heavy and having that experience, we put that to good use for us."

The Lady Bulldogs took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, with a two-run double by Cassidy Macias the big blow. Stamford also scored on a passed ball and RBI singles by Jay'Lynn Hatley and Madi Woolf.

Scoring five runs before the other team batted set the tone for the game.

"We came out ready to play," Slavin said. "The bats were hot, we played solid defense."

His team scored 13 runs vs. two Thursday against Colorado City pitcher Kaci Rivera.

"We hit the ball hard ... and found a few more holes today," Slavin said. "We took advantage of that."

Colorado City coach Kara LeLeux called the quick deficit "pretty big." Her lineup is dotted with freshmen.

"I tell them, 'It doesn't matter. We've got to keep playing our game and keeping going," she said. "Unfortunately, it didn't go our way today."

Stamford got two more runs in the third and fourth, putting the Lady Bulldogs on the verge of winning by the 10-run rule. A two-run single by single by Follis made it 9-0.

Slavin said it was important to keep scoring because Bangs lost a big lead Thursday to Forsan, and it cost the Lady Dragons dearly in that series.

"You feel good about it but at the same time, you've got to play all seven innings," he said.

Colorado City hung tough for those seven inning, not allowing a run the next two innings while picking up one. Rivera set down Stamford 1-2-3 in the fifth and got a ground-out to end the sixth with two runners on.

Meanwhile, Colorado City had a runner thrown out at the plate in the fourth, and, after scoring a run in the fifth, left the bags loaded when Alyssa Woodell's deep fly to left field was snared at the fence by Emily Patterson.

Down 13-1 going into their last at-bat, the Lady Wolves got a run.

Then the game ended a bit weirdly.

KK Epperson hit a grounder to Macias, Stamford's second baseman, who seemed to tag baserunner A.J. Goodney coming from first, then throwing to first for the game-ending double play. However, with Stamford players off the field, the umpires reviewed the play and ruled that Macias had collided with Goodney before tagging her, which is interference. Goodney was awarded third base and Epperson first.

The call didn't matter in the outcome, but required a throw-out by third baseman Brylee Strand to end the game.

Still, LeLeux was pleased to see her team take it to seven innings.

"What else do you have to lose at this point? Just go out there and play loose, how you've been playing all season long," she said. "We scrapped a run and it was 'just get it to seven, just get it to seven.'"

The C-City dugout chatter kept going to the last out.

"They're always going to be loud and rowdy whether it goes our way or it doesn't," LeLeux said. "That just how we play."

Follis's home run stole thunder from senior shortstop Laylonna Applin, who had homered the past two games in the sixth inning.

But Applin made her mark on defense in the fourth. She threw out a runner at home on a close play, backpedaled to catch a popup in the outfield grass and tossed a grounder to Marcias for a force at second.

The Lady Bulldogs veteran said good defense is key at this stage of the playoffs.

"Obviously we need to score runs but defense is really what wins us games," she said. "We have to help our pitcher in the circle. I want to do anything I can to help our freshman so we can get in and score runs.

While standout pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez last years piled up the strikeouts, Follis coaxes more batted balls.

"It's a little different but honestly, I love all the action," Applin said. "I love helping my pitcher out."

Applin was happy to see Follis go deep.

"They walk me and don't expect that she can hit the ball. I was super excited for her," Applin said, smiling. "She has been doing so well in the circle and for her to have her little moment ... I am really proud of her."

Follis said the home run was fun "but we did very well as a team. It was a great win as a team. "

The pitcher had to work Saturday but got out of trouble consistently. For example, she gave up a two-out triple by Epperson off the glove of Woolf, who was running hard toward the right-field line in the third inning, but got a ground-out to leave Epperson at the corner.

"I feel like I'm used to pressure because I've played softball my whole life," she said. "I am used to pressure and my defense does a great job and has my back in situations like that."

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Follis, Stamford softball close out Colorado City