Plano East senior pitcher Jadyn Dawson looks the ball into her glove for the final out of a 4-0 win over Euless Trinity in Game 1 of a Class 6A Division I regional semifinal Wednesday, May 7 in Euless. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
EULESS — After hitting a double and a solo home run in each of her first two at bats, Plano East senior Jadyn Dawson never saw a pitch to hit for the remainder of Game 1 of a Class 6A Division I regional semifinal series against Euless Trinity.
Following a 4-0 road win for the Lady Panthers over the Lady Trojans, she said that there is a real possibility that she might not get another chance to hit a pitch for the remainder of this series.
“We were talking about it, and I probably won’t see a solid at bat in the game Friday, but it’s been like that all season,” Dawson said. “We’re used to it.”
Euless Trinity head coach Kelsea Svochak felt that the final straw to not pitch to Dawson again came after Dawson crushed an opposite-field solo home run over the wall in right field in the top of the third inning.
Dawson’s home run gave Plano East a 3-0 lead.
“She worked my high and worked me out in my previous at bat, but I knew that this at bat, I was going to look for something high in the zone,” Dawson said. “I looked for that high outside pitch and I drove it.”
For as much as Dawson has been a key cog in the Lady Panthers’ lineup this season all season, Plano East head coach Lauren Peterson said that it can be dangerous for opposing teams to focus solely on Dawson. That’s because there is plenty of offensive firepower that resides throughout Plano East’s entire batting order.
Take sophomore Avery Hopper, for example.
Hopper hit the sixth pitch of her at bat in the top of the second inning just out of the reach of junior right fielder Alexis Fuentes. Hopper made it all the way to third base on the three-base error. Two runs scored on the play, giving Plano East a 2-0 lead.
“I knew that she was going to pitch me low and outside,” Hopper said. “It’s not my favorite pitch, but I saw it coming. It was a 2-2 count so I just had to hit anything that was close.”
Long at bats such as the one that Hopper had has been a big reason why Plano East has scored 23 runs through its first four playoff games.
The Lady Panthers made Lady Trojan junior pitcher Peyton Hosey throw 91 pitches by the end of the fifth inning and 124 for the ballgame.
“We are super disciplined, usually,” Peterson said. “We watch a lot of film, and our kids take watching film seriously. I give them a lot of credit for that.”
Hosey also had to throw more pitches than she would have liked because of defensive struggles by Euless Trinity.
In the top of the fifth inning, Euless Trinity issued an intentional walk to Dawson, putting runners on first and second bases with one out. Moments later, sophomore Julia Wilson hit the ball up the middle, but Euless Trinity’s infielders couldn’t field the ball cleanly. Sophomore Gina Martin scored all the way from second base, giving Plano East a commanding 4-0 lead.
Wilson officially went 0 for 4 at the plate with an RBI, but her defense was strong all game. And when she was needed the most, she came through in the clutch.
Euless Trinity best together its best offensive rally in the bottom of the fifth. The Lady Trojans had runners at first and second bases with one out. However, Wilson squashed Euless Trinity’s chance to score a run, making a diving catch in shallow center field to deny the Lady Trojans, at the very least, of a one-run hit. Her catch kept Plano East in front 4-0.
“Amazing,” Peterson said. “She was frustrated with herself because she wasn’t producing like wanted to offensively, and I always tell her, ‘Separate. Separate. Separate and go show out.’ And she did, and she came up huge for us.”
Dawson putting the finishing touches on her second consecutive complete-game shutout just two innings later after she induced a pop fly to herself in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Abilene Christian signee struck out nine against just three hits allowed. That comes on the heels of a six-strikeout performance in an 11-0 win against South Grand Prairie last week, helping Plano East to a two-game sweep of their area-round series against the Lady Warriors.
“It comes down to confidence,” Dawson said. “I feel more comfortable being the visiting team. It’s different than what most people would say, just because I have so much confidence in my offense. But defensively, going into the game, I know these girls have my back. You saw Julia with her diving play. They put it all on the line.”
Plano East (27-9) will look to complete the sweep of Euless Trinity on Friday. A win would advance the Lady Panthers into their first regional final since 2017. First pitch for Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. from Plano East.
“It feels really good, especially knowing the team that we have and how far that we’ve come,” Dawson said. “We’ve never been in the playoffs. So, to come this far and know that we’re one win away is a huge deal for us.”
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