One step away from state: Katy takes Game 1
By Brian Simmons
Sports Editor

Wednesday, May 23, 2007 10:07 PM CDT

Katie Brokeyer's joy after scoring her team's first run was readily apparent as she headed back to the dugout during Wednesday night's 2-0 victory over Cinco Ranch. (Times photo/Nick Georgandis)

Katie Brokmeyer was disappointed as she ran to first base after hitting the ball to right field, thinking she had hit a fly out. Seconds later, she was standing at third base.

A few seconds after that, she was running to score the first run in Katy’s 2-0 win in Game 1 of the Class 5A Region III finals over Cinco Ranch at Seven Lakes High School on Wednesday night.

“I thought it was just an out, so I was like, ‘Oh crap,” Brokmeyer said.

Brokmeyer hit a fly ball to left field in the top of the third inning, where a Cinco Ranch outfielder took a chance and went for it, turning a single into a three-base hit.

A wild pitch from Cougar ace Shannon Smith allowed Brokmeyer to run home as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead.

Katy scored an insurance run in the seventh with a Stacey Dominique RBI double to left-center.

Katy pitcher Denise Arnold was brilliant, allowing just two hits in seven innings while striking out four.

“I didn’t know I had that in me,” Arnold said. “I was glad to see I could come out and do that.”

Of the 21 Cinco Ranch outs, 10 were fly balls.

“That had more to do with them than with me,” Arnold said. “I was just trying to keep the ball low and they went down to go get it and popped it up.”

Arnold had a shutout going against Cinco Ranch in the regular season, but lost it in the eight inning. This time around, she didn’t want to get excited until her team was walking off the field at the end of the game.

“I tried not to think about it,” Arnold said. “I said it under my breath to myself, but I didn’t want to think about it too much.”

Heading into Wednesday night, Katy hadn’t beaten Cinco Ranch since 2005, making the first contest of the region final all-the-more important for the Tigers. Now Katy is one win away from the state tournament in Austin, which will be held next weekend.

“They beat us and they stole district from us the last two years,” Arnold said of the Cougars’ consecutive district titles after Katy took the previous five.

“But I’m glad we beat them when it counted.”

The Tigers improved to 33-7, while Cinco Ranch dropped to 32-7. Game 2 is slated for a 7 p.m. start Thursday night at Morton Ranch High School.