Katy roundup: Young Lady Spartans still learning the game

Seven Lakes coach Terry Kangas says his young Lady Spartans are still learning how to play in big games.

When they figure it out, they're going to be awfully good.

Coming off a lop-sided loss to Katy on April 1, the Lady Spartans hit the road to face Cinco Ranch, which beat them the first time around, and came away with a pivotal 4-0 win in District 19-5A.

"I was kind of worried when we first started (the Cinco Ranch game) how it was going to after that (7-0 loss to Katy at home), so it was a good bounce-back win for us," Kangas said.

The Katy setback came right after the Lady Spartans handed Katy Taylor its first district loss, also by a 7-0 score, so they're fully capable of beating good teams, and everything went right last week.

Freshman pitcher Matty Stulce baffled the Lady Cougars at the plate. She allowed five scattered hits and fanned 12 with one walk on 125 pitches. She retired the side in order three times.

And that's not easy to do. Cinco Ranch is hitting better than .300 this season.

"Bottom line is, the young lady, Stulce, did a hell of a job tonight, keeping us off-balance," Cinco Ranch coach Jerry Miller said. "She really didn't pitch to the heart of the plate the whole night, and then when she got the lead she was really good.

"We struck out 12 times tonight. I bet we haven't struck out 12 times ever."

The scary part for Seven Lakes opponents is Stulce is just getting started on her high school career.

"She's getting there," Kangas said. "She's had some good games and bad games but she's grown up a lot, and when you give her the ball you know she's going to be pretty consistent each and every night."

No one's more consistent than Paige Ortiz, who supplied the big hit — like she's done all season.

The senior third baseman went to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the fifth and belted a three-run home run over the scoreboard in left-center field, giving the Lady Spartans the 4-0 lead.

The homer was her 12th of the season.

Cinco golf sweeps district

The Cinco Ranch boys and girls teams swept the team championships at the District 19-5A golf tournament, earning them both trips to the Region III-5A tournament April 20-21 at Eagle Pointe.

The girls won with a team total of 635 and the boys took first with a team 601.

Cinco Ranch junior Abby Newton shot the best round of the tournament on the first day, carding a 7-under-par 64, which broke the school and course records. Newton cruised to the first-place medal with a 73 on Day 2.

On the boys side, Cinco freshman Connor Black claimed the first-place medal with a 71-73, and his Cougar teammate, senior Scott Newell (146), was second.

Seven Lakes' Juan Espiga (71-80) and Mayde Creek's Nick Pierce (76-73) also qualified for the regional tourney as the two best individual boys scorers who were not already on advancing teams.

Cassidy and Nordahl are the individual regional qualifiers for the girls.

Rice hosting football clinic

Rice is hosting the Gridiron Heroes Football Coaches Clinic on April 16. The cost is $40 per coach.

The day begins with coffee and doughnuts at 8 a.m. Presentations divided into offensive and defensive topics begin at 8:35 a.m. and run until approximately 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Scheduled speakers include Katy coach Gary Joseph, The Woodlands coach Mark Schmid, Memorial coach Gary Koch, Friendswood coach Steve Van Meter, Pearland offensive coordinator Jeremy Beason and North Shore defensive coordinator Jon Kay.