Princeton freshman pitcher Zaniya Passini (11) allowed two runs, pitched a complete game and had an RBI single in a 2-1 loss to Plano East on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
GARLAND — For the better part of two years, the Princeton softball team has been looking to earn a breakthrough win.
The Lady Panthers had not won a district game since joining Class 6A last season. But freshman pitcher Zaniya Passini, a recent varsity call-up, nearly helped Princeton end that long drought.
After Princeton lost each of its first eight district games by at least 10 runs, the Lady Panthers found themselves in a nip-and-tuck game with Plano East on Saturday. Princeton held Plano East to one run and tied the score on a Passini RBI single in the top of the seventh.
Unfortunately for Princeton, that win will have to wait for another day. Plano East emerged with a 2-1 victory after freshman Emerson Bailey drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh.
What pleased head coach Brian Goulart the most about his team’s performance was its defense and its ability to play a full seven innings after being run-ruled in previous district games.
“I’m super satisfied with that portion of it,” Goulart said. “I would have liked to have this type of game earlier in the year so that we’re fighting for wins.”
The right arm of Passini gave Princeton every chance to win. She held Plano East to one run over the game’s first six innings — an RBI double by La’Courtnia Butler in the bottom of the third.
“We brought her up in our last game against McKinney Boyd,” Goulart said. “She went out here and pitched an amazing game today. She’s a game-changing little stud. Her and Zoie (Rainey), our catcher, are a great battery.”
In that same inning, Princeton also benefited from an overturned call. Plano East initially took a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly. Goulart walked onto the field to challenge the call, arguing the baserunner at third left the bag too soon on a tag-up. After the two umpires conferred, the call was overturned, and the score remained 1-0 Plano East.
Passini also benefited from timely defense behind her.
Plano East came inches away from taking a three-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, but third baseman Camila Beltran caught a hard liner off the bat of Aisha Nawaz to end the threat and keep it a one-run game.
“Defense was good today,” Goulart said. “I think that we only made one error and it didn’t cost us a run.”
After not converting with runners on base through the first six innings, Princeton finally broke through in the seventh. Kinlee Ratliff reached on a one-out single and scored on Passini’s RBI single for a 1-1 tie.
Plano East won the game in the home half of the seventh after Bailey’s bases-loaded walk.
Meanwhile, the Princeton baseball team came into Saturday looking to avenge a 16-3 loss to Plano earlier in the week, but instead came up just short in a 7-5 loss.
The Panthers nearly erased a five-run deficit.
Princeton struck first as Felix Martinez drove in Marlon Alvarado with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Martinez accounted for two of Princeton’s five hits.
Plano rallied with three runs in the bottom of the third before increasing its lead to 6-1 following a two-run double by Marshall Cone in the fifth.
Princeton continued to swing away. A three-run home run by Kayden Cochrane in the sixth brought the Panthers within two runs. Two batters later, Brayden Hyatt dropped an RBI single into left field, cutting Plano’s lead to 6-5.
The Wildcats capitalized on a Princeton fielding error in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 lead.