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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Eagles try to reverse results against Loboes
In the first game between the Pecos Eagles and Monahans Loboes this season the Loboes took advantage of Pecos’ mistakes to score a three-hit, 3-0 win. In the second game the Loboes took advantage of Pecos’ mistakes to score a three-hit, 3-0 win.
Tonight in Pecos, the teams will face off for the third time this season in the biggest game of the season for both teams, the Region I-3A quarterfinals, after the Eagles won a coin flip on Monday to host tonight’s 7 p.m. playoff game.
The results were the same in Pecos and in Monahans during District 4-3A play, though the pitchers were different. Nicole Dickson survived some early game problems to beat the Eagles in Monahans, while Raquel Hawkins avoided some problems late in the game to get her three-hit shutout over Pecos.
“We’ve prepared for both of them,” said Eagles’ coach Tammy Walls. “We’ve seen the difference between then and we’re prepared for them both.” Monahans used both Hawkins and Dickson last Friday, in their 5-0 victory over Canyon in the area round of the playoffs.
While the Eagles won’t know until this evening who’ll they’ll face to start the game, the Loboes will be facing Stephanie Herrera for the third time this season. In both the previous games, Monahans was able to take advantage of first inning Pecos mistakes to grab an early lead, and then added insurance runs midway through both games.
“The last time we had a couple of errors that hurt us,” Walls said. “I feel like this is going to be a 1-run ballgame, but we have to play solid defense and get on base.”
Hawkins has singled and scored to open both games against Herrera, while catcher Kadye Hill has been the other big hitter for Monahans against Herrera, singling and scoring after Hawkins in the first meeting and then hitting a two-run double in the third inning of the Loboes’ win in Pecos.
“We know anyone can be on on a day; it may be the fourth spot in the lineup or it may be the ninth spot. But we’re going to be prepared for every spot, and we’re not going to take anyone for granted,” Walls said.
One other thing the Eagles have been doing is practicing at night. Outside of a preseason scrimmage the Eagles have yet to play a night game at their new softball field, and haven’t had to deal with sunsets that could affect third base, shortstop and left field during the late innings of tonight’s game.
“We’ve practiced a couple of times at 7 o’clock to get the fielders adjusted to the sun,” Walls said. Pecos has played both of the playoff games so far this season as 7 p.m. starts in Andrews, but the sun at that field sets in the right field foul area and has less effect on the fielders.
Pecos played into the night in their first game, winning an 11-inning 4-3 game over Lubbock Cooper, while taking care of Muleshoe last Thursday in just over an hour, by a 13-0 score. Monahans drew a first round playoff bye after beating Greenwood in a playoff for the District 4-3A title.
The winner of tonight’s game will face either Lake Dallas or Iowa Park in the Region I-3A semifinals. Those two teams face each other this evening in Weatherford.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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