Stamford thunders by Forsan to secure third-straight state softball berth

Stamford won a state title in 2021, then lost 1-0 in the state semifinals last year.

As we've learned recently, when it rains, it pours in Abilene.

After a 1½-hour rain delay, Stamford poured it on Forsan, breaking open a close game with 11 runs the final two innings to earn its third straight Class 2A state softball berth with a 15-1 victory Saturday over the Lady Buffs at ACU's Wells Field.

"I feel like dad gave me the keys to the Corvette and I haven't wrecked it yet," Stamford first-year coach Sean Slavin said. He only arrived in Stamford in January and began the season with big unknowns.

How would he fare taking over for successful coach Cyndi Herrera, who moved on to Breckenridge?

How would the team react to losing all-state pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez, now pitching for the University of Texas?

"I am super blessed to be here," Slavin said. "These kids didn't even get a chance to get to know me. A lot of them showed up for practice Day 1 and hadn't even met me. I am super grateful to all the seniors who entrusted me with the program and bought in to what we have going on

"I am overwhelmed by the blessings I have being their coach."

Region I champ Stamford will play Como-Pickton (37-2), winner of Region III, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. Como-Pickton, which is between Sulphur Springs and Winnsboro in East Texas, took out Shelbyville 13-1 and 4-0 to win its region.

The other Class 2A semifinal game pits defending state champion Crawford (34-2) against Weimar (38-6-1) at 4 p.m. Tuesday at McCombs Field. The championship game is 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Beating Forsan ... and the rain

A downpour and then nearby lightning forced the teams into their dugouts Saturday.

As the rain passed, players from both teams danced to songs on the PA system, laughing at the other group's dance moves.

Slavin wanted to win Game 2 because more rain was predicted for later in the afternoon.

Neither team seemed undone by the delay, nor worried that its hopes for a state tournament trip rested on freshman pitchers - Maddie Roach for Forsan and Emma Follis for Stamford.

When the game finally started, it was apparent that Forsan was ready to play, its energy evident even after a 6-1 loss in Game 1. In that game, the Lady Buffs gave up six runs in the first inning, then Roach settled in.

Roach picked up where she left off. Stamford went down 1-2-3 in the first inning, all three outs on grounders. She quickly retired the first four Stamford batters.

"You don't get to the regional being a scrub and we knew they were going to come out and give us a game, Slavin said of Forsan. "And for the most part, they did."

An error opened the door for the Lady Bulldog in the second inning.

Jay'Lynn Hatley reached on a low throw first on her grounder to shortstop, Cassidi Macias hit a soft single and Jameson Bell followed with an infield single to load the bases. Madi Woolf and Raylan Villanueva singled in runs and Woolf scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. Forsan got a force at the plate to save another run.

That's all the runs Stamford would need, but the Lady Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 4-0 in the third.

Laylonna Applin led off with one-hop double off the wall and scored on Hatley's one-out double.

"We wanted to come out strong with our bats," said Applin, a senior who was 3-for-5 at the plate.

Follis on fire

Meanwhile, Follis was keeping a zero on the scoreboard. She worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the first inning with a called third strike on Ary'ann Mealing. She retired 12 of 14 batters the next four innings.

"My team did a great job of having my back. They made a lot of great plays," said Follis, who gave up three hits. "Without them, I can't do it. It's a team effort."

Follis is making a return to Austin, where she helped the Stamford track share a team state title earlier this month.

"She really pitched great today," Slavin said. "We've been really working on that changeup, and that changeup was really on point. Kept the off-balance. We worked in, we worked out."

Follis said that pitch hasn't there recently, but she worked on it. It wasn't in the game plan to use it, she said, but when it worked, she stuck with it.

"My changeup is not one of my best pitches, but today it was on," she said.

Slavin said he realigned his outfielders, playing them in more after Forsan scratched for its hits Thursday. With Follis hitting her spots and the defense in position to make plays, Forsan never could muster a big inning.

"We just tended to hit right to them this series," 18-year Forsan coach Shanna Taylor said. "We couldn't find any gaps, and if you're good defensive team and you're sitting there waiting, then that's going to happen.

"We felt like we were the better team but we hit it right at them. That's a good team. I hope they do well at state."

Then came the thunder

It looked as if the 4-0 lead would be all Stamford needed as the pitcher battled, but the clouds opened up in the sixth inning.

Applin doubled in two runs, another scored on an overthrow, another on a wild pitch and a fifth on Follis' RBI grounder. Suddenly, it was 9-0.

Forsan got its only run in the bottom of the sixth when K'Leigh Williams' single to center bad-hopped away from Emily Patterson and turned into a triple. Williams scored on a wild pitch, but Follis bounced back with two of her five strikeouts.

Roach gave up six runs on seven hits in the top of the seventh. A big play was an RBI gapper by Macias with went to the fence, allowing Macias to sprint all the way home.

Bell and Woolf followed with singles to give their team 17 hits in the game.

"They're girls and they're young and sometimes things just get away from you," Taylor said. The final two innings skewed a tight game for five innings.

"When you go four or five innings without generating a run, it's wearing and it's stressful," she said. "That just eats at these young girls. You have to figure out a way to battle through that for all seven."

Seventh heaven

Follis took care of Forsan in the seventh, with second baseman Macias wrapping two putouts around her team's only error of the game.

That sent Stamford players sprinting to the circle to celebrate with Follis.

"This sends us over the moon," said third baseman Brylee Strand, who graduated Friday night. "We were so excited about graduation last night but I think the seniors ... it's just an unexplainable experience."

Those seniors now are graduates but still representing Stamford High.

"It's definitely an honor to have this opportunity," Strand said. "I think this year we worked hard and proved a lot of people wrong.

"I think this is just as rewarding as the past two years."