The Gators defeat the Mustangs 3-1 thanks to the pitching of Rhiannon Boegart and face River Ridge in Thursday's District 5 final.
By ANTHONY GAGLIANO
Published April 28, 2004
TRINITY - In the three-team District 5, someone was going to go home unhappy. It turned out to be Mitchell.
The host Mustangs managed only an unearned run off Land O'Lakes starter Rhiannon Boegart and lost 3-1 Tuesday.
A region semifinalist a year ago, the Mustangs lost for just the fourth time this season, but this one ensured they'll be home for the playoffs. The Gators (18-6) will go to the postseason in coach Mark Rulison's first year; they face River Ridge Thursday for the district championship.
"It's a shame all three can't go," Mitchell coach Scott Bisbe said. "I've said if there were three districts in Pasco, all three could be district champions."
The Mustangs won't get that chance thanks to Boegart, whose only strikeout came on the last batter of the game. Instead, she got ahead of hitters, overcoming one of her biggest weaknesses all season, and mixed her pitches effectively in her best game of the year, according to Rulison. The sophomore allowed five hits and walked one.
"She does a great job, she just doesn't throw that hard," Bisbe said. "They did a great job calling for that first pitch changeup. I just don't understand why you'd swing at a changeup when there's no strikes and it's almost down on the ground."
A three-base error put Cassie Markham on with two outs in the third, and Mitchell leftfielder Layne Spencer knocked her in with a single. Boegart skirted further trouble until the fifth when she walked Spencer to put runners at first and second. Freshman Ashley Stager drove centerfielder April Slate to the wall before she tucked the ball into her glove.
Slate worked Mitchell's Trish Blankenship to a 3-1 count in the fifth, then laced a double to the wall in right-center scoring Andrea Hay, who walked leading off the inning. That made the score 2-1 and Samantha Cronk sent Markham deep to center, forcing the Mitchell centerfielder to make an over-the-shoulder grab as Stephanie Swinson came home with the third run.
