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Home » Softball NewsPlano East advances past SLC/Haltom next in softball playoffsApril 29, 2012 By David McNabb of VYPE MAGAZINE - DFWSOUTHLAKE _ _ Behind stellar defense, Plano East defeated Southlake Carroll, 4-0, to advance in the Class 5A state softball playoffs to meet Haltom next week in the area round. Haltom swept its first-round playoff series against South Grand Prairie. After big hitting powered an opening win in a best-of-3 playoff series, nationally ranked East got just enough timely hitting from junior catcher K.K. Stevens, who went 4-for-4 and drove in three runs. Haltom defeated SGP, 13-5, on Saturday night to advance. Texas signee Holly Kern shut out Carroll aon Saturday afternoon fter East needed a seven-run inning to rally for a 9-6 victory in the series opener on Friday night.
"Holly threw really hard in the first game and and her forearm was a little sore," East coach Karen Kalhoefer said. "We believe we have a good defense and I told Holly to let them help her. Rachel Scott made made some plays at shortstop, Jacque Anthony had a double play at third and Destiny Garza had six putouts."
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East (30-3) is ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and coming off a District 8-5A title but started the playoffs with an inexperienced roster.
"We asked who'd been in the playoffs and only five raised their hands," Kalhoefer said. "We had some butterflies to start the playoffs. We were nervous, swung at some bad pitches we normally don't swing in the first game but we settled down. But it's the playoffs and a lead isn't a lead until it's over and you get the final out. We know this was tough and it gets tougher and tougher with every game."
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East last reached the playoffs in 2010 and was ousted by Flower Mound in the second round.
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Against Carroll, East jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning at Bob Jones Park, a big recreational field with 230-foot fences with the wind-blowing into the batters to nullify some power in contrast to the game having been played at smaller Lady Dragon Field as originally scheduled. East loaded the bases with three walks in the top of the first and No. 4 hitter Stevens hit a sharp grounder off the pitcher which snuck into center field to score Chandler Cink and Scott. The left-handed hitting Stevens, who had two doubles in Game 1, stroked a solid single to right make it 3-0 in the top of the third but East still left five runners on base through the first three innings.
Carroll (13-11) hit some solid shots off Kern but only ended with three hits and just one runner advanced to third and three to second.
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