Rock the Boat: Late Inning Fireworks Clinch SLC Tournament Title

Hitless through the top of the seventh inning, Leah Boatright and Ryan Kos said bye-bye to the no-no with two solo home runs to spark the Bobcats to a heroic 2009 Southland Conference Tournament title over McNeese State University, 2-1. This championship is the second under head coach Ricci Woodard since 2001, and with the win Texas State earns an automatic bid into an NCAA Regional.

Chandler Hall started on the circle for the 'Cats for the third consecutive game and sets a perfect 3-0 tournament record in her freshman year. Hall also earned the Most Valuable Player award to accompany her All-SLC Tournament Team honor. Kos, Boatright, Alyce Rother and Taylor Hall also received plaques to signify the same titles.

Hall gave up a lead off home run in the bottom of the first to left fielder Lindsey Langer, a towering shot into the right centerfield gap to give the Cowgirls an early 1-0 lead. The infield quickly gathered on the circle to regroup and drown out the Cowgirl fans, who had been yelling non-stop for (what seemed like) three days. The game would remain the same as the 'Cats could not muster a single hit for 6 and 1/3 innings, nor could the girls get any kind of momentum rolling in their favor. Kristina Tello was the only Bobcat player to stand on the base paths on a walk. But in the seventh, Boatright led off with a moonshot over the scoreboard in left to tie the game at one, and two batters later, Ryan Kos cranked another to straight-away center field to grab the lead, and that was all she wrote. The 2-1 victory improves Hall's record to 24-9.

There were some late inning thrills to come in the home half of the seventh, as center fielder Liz Morvant reached second on an errant throw by Jenna Emery at third. The next batter grounded softly to the same spot where Emery stared the runner back at second. Morvant smacked her hands in frustration as the possible tying run, but she would reach third base on an infield ground out to second. Cowgirl second baseman Holly Long was McNeese's last hope. She cued one off the end of the bat down the first base line, where Hall picked it up trying to avoid a collision with the runner, and fired to first base for the final out.

McNeese starting pitcher Bethany Stefinsky nearly led her Cowgirls to a no-no against UTSA in the first game of the tournament before surrendering a hit in the sixth in what would have been her first career no-hitter. Stefinsky still made history though when she broke McNeese State's single season strikeout record against Sam Houston State earlier Saturday afternoon, setting the final total at 303 later after retiring eleven Bobcats with the K. The loss ends her season record at 21-16.

Against Texas State, Stefinsky walked just one, while her defense committed one error behind her. Kos and Boatright ruined one dream to make their own dreams come true: in April, Kos said two plays she wanted to make in her career were to hit a grand slam and to crank a walk-off winner. The Slam is the only one on that list she hasn't checked, and after the title game, Kos said that her seventh inning game-winner is just as sweet, if not sweeter than anything.

The long ball got the job done for Texas State in 2009, as five of the six total runs scored in the tournament were out of the ball park. Only McKenzie Baack scored from third on a base hit to the outfield. These home runs, and this style of play, proves exactly why the Bobcats are a tremendous championship team. The never-say-die attitude started in the dug out, and assistant coach Peejay Brun said after the game about Boatright's homerun, "I was thinking before that at-bat, it's about time for her to get a hit." Call it luck, call it confidence, or just call it a Southland Conference Tournament Championship.

Texas State's record boosts to 39-16 this season, but there's more to come. The girls await ESPNU.com's announcement of the NCAA Regional Bracket set-up Sunday, May 10 at 9:00 p.m.

- Mason Robinson, KTSW Sports Staff Writer