Lady Warriors fall short in semifinals

SULPHUR – Northside Christian’s hopes of playing in the Class C state championship game for a second straight year were dashed one game short Saturday by St. Joseph’s Redstickers at Frash Park.
Facing 3-1 deficit early in the game, the Lady Warriors rallied for single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game heading into the bottom of the final frame, only to see St. Joseph’s Alexis Barker put a halt to the Lady Warriors’ season in the bottom of the seventh when she logged a two-out single to plate Emily Link.
That hit gave the Lady Redstickers a 4-3 victory and a berth in the state finals.
“We had an absolutely great season,” said NCS coach Ryan Hanagriff, whose team lost to Hackberry in the state finals in 2014. “We had done well in district and we knew if we played our game we could go deep in the playoffs. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
The Lady Warriors got on the board in the top of the first inning when Zoie Hanagriff doubled and scored on an error.
But the Lady Redstickers answered in the bottom of the second inning, scoring three runs on three hits and a walk.
The Lady Warriors’ offense was silent after the first inning, logging just three hits off St. Joseph hurler Macey Foruin from the second inning to the sixth.
Kathryn Zaunbrecher singled to start the third inning, but she was left stranded at second base. Madisyn Clement had a one-out triple in the fourth, but Foruin got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
And Leah Monte had a leadoff single in the fifth inning, but she, too, was also left stranded.
“We had some opportunities,” said Hanagriff. “We were able to get a few things going, but we just couldn’t come through with that big, timely hit when we needed it.”
The Lady Warriors finally got something going in the sixth inning when Clement doubled and Brooke Stanford singled with one out. Lily Hoffpauir then reached base on an error, allowing Clement to score and cut the lead to 3-2.
With runners at second and third base and one out, the potential for a big inning was there.
Foruin, however, got out of the jam on back-to-back lineouts by Zera Hanagriff and Monte.
Zoie Hanagriff tied the game in the top of the seventh inning when she grounded out to second base, enabling Meghan Jones, who reached base on a bunt single, to score.
In all, the Lady Warriors logged eight hits off Foruin.
Clement and Stanford each had two while Jones, Monte, Zaunbrecher and Zoie Hanagriff each had one.
“We tell the girls that we are going to work hard and be contenders every year,” said Hanagriff, whose team finished the year with a 21-3 record. “That’s our long-term goal. We told them after the game today and we are going to tell them that every day from here on out.”