Eupora shut out at home in playoffs by Hatley

April 27, 2012

EUPORA – The Eupora Lady Eagles had a tough customer to try and hit when Hatley pitcher Lesley Hudson entered the circle Friday afternoon.

Even though it was difficult at times against Hudson, the Lady Eagles can't say they didn't have their chances.

Eupora had two runners on with no outs in the fourth and sixth innings, but failed to score and were shut out by Hudson and the visiting Tigers 4-0 in the Class 2A playoffs.

Hudson held the Lady Eagles to two hits, but she walked two batters which opened the door for something positive to happen.

"We just didn't execute," Eupora softball coach Trae Embry said. "When you don't execute against a team like that, you just don't win.

"They executed when they had runners on. They got their bunts down and we didn't get our bunts down."

Hatley scored a pair of runs on two hits in the third frame and two more runs on four hits in the fourth.

Amber Dean went the distance in the circle for the Lady Eagles and only allowed seven hits. She walked three and struck out one.

"Amber threw the ball fine," Embry said. "They had seven hits to our three hits so we've just got to execute a little bit better."

The only extra base hit for Eupora, which saw its record fall to 18-8, was a seventh-inning double by Allie Steadman. Hai-Leigh Hodges and Katelyn Rodgers had one single each.

Hudson threw three perfect innings and had four strikeouts through two innings, but she saw her command began to lag toward the later innings.

That gives Embry some hope as the Lady Eagles look to win a pair in Hatley today to keep its season alive. The second game in the series begins at 2 p.m.

"(Hudson) got tired in the late innings and that gives you a chance (today) if we can go over there and win the first one," Embry said. "We need to have a little bit better body language. I didn't think our body language after the first couple of innings was very good."