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Lovejoy softball finally scales state plateau; Lewisville also heads to Austin after fourth- place district finish

Back in 2008, in its first season of varsity softball, it took some work for Lovejoy just to field a team.

“We recruited girls from track and basketball and tried to field a team of nine,” coach Amanda Douglas said. “I think we had 10 or 11 that year.”

With a team consisting of only freshmen and sophomores, Lovejoy went 16-16 and missed the playoffs. But it’s made the postseason every season since, and on Friday it will play in the state tournament for the first time.

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In its first season in Class 4A after moving up from 3A, Lovejoy (34-8) will play Richmond Foster (31-4) in a state semifinal at 9 a.m. at the University of Texas’ Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. Led by seniors Brittany Lewis, Amanda Gray, Sammi Curry and Ginger Hervey, who have been on varsity since they were freshmen, Lovejoy made it to state after losing in the regional semifinals in 2010, in a regional final in 2011 and in the regional quarterfinals last season.

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“We had come so close,” Douglas said.

Lewisville (29-13) will also be playing at state for the first time after sweeping nationally ranked Lubbock Coronado in the regional semifinals and then winning a three-game regional final series against Flower Mound Marcus, which was ranked No. 5 nationally at one point. Lewisville, the fourth-place team from District 5-5A, will face San Benito (34-2) in a 5A semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday.

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In the last two rounds of the playoffs, San Benito eliminated Northside O’Connor and Spring Branch Smithson Valley, which were both in the state tournament in 2012. Smithson Valley was the 4A state champion last season.

Led by all-state senior pitcher Skylar Cagle (26-0), Pilot Point has outscored its opponents 35-3 in the playoffs to make it to state for the first time since 2005. Pilot Point (38-2-1) will play Garrison (23-9) in a 2A semifinal at 3 p.m. Wednesday.