ST. CHARLES • Whether she is pitching in sunshine or under the bright lights, Baylee Douglass never takes the mound without her lucky shades.
"I'm really superstitious, so I always wear my sunglasses the whole game," the Centralia hurler said. "And I always keep my cup in the same spot."
While the sophomore is afraid a change in her routine could jinx her, there didn't appear to be any luck required during the Class 3 quarterfinals Saturday against St. Charles West at the Lou Brock Complex at Lindenwood College.
Douglass was dominant, holding the Warriors to three hits while striking out 14. The Panthers were dominant at the plate, too, exploding for nine runs in the first inning en route to an 11-0 victory.
Centralia (26-2-1) advances to the state semifinals, where it will face Westminster on Friday at 2 p.m. in Springfield. Earlier Saturday, the Wildcats edged De Soto 5-4.
Douglass held the Warriors at bay for most of the game by hitting her spots and keeping them off balance with an outstanding changeup.
"I was really confident, especially when our offense put up nine runs in the first inning," Douglass said. "I was really comfortable out there."
While Douglass cruised through all six of her innings, the Warriors' start was a nightmarish one. After West pitcher Brooke Camenzind fanned leadoff hitter Jennifer Mills, the next 11 Panthers reached base on a triple, seven singles, two walks and an error.
Some hits were blasts, others just found a hole in the West defense. Though Centralia is a strong hitting club, it was far from the start the Warriors and coach Ellen Parker imagined.
"We had a tough first inning," Parker said. "We had a couple errors, and they really started hitting the ball. Once we settled down and played through the nerves, we were OK those later innings. It should have been a 2, 3 nothing ball game.
"They are an excellent hitting team. And that was the best pitcher we've faced all season long. She kept us off balance ... This is probably the first night all season that we've struck out in double figures."
Camenzind did settle down to hold the Panthers to three hits from the second to the fifth inning. But they broke through in the top of the sixth for two more runs on a leadoff triple by Mills, an RBI double from Sydney Creel, and a base hit by Ashley Hill.
Centralia coach Jill Angell said the Panthers are used to jumping on top of teams early.
"It's kind of our signature to hit in the first inning," she said. "We have to score a run in the first inning, and Mills is usually our leadoff and usually hits a double. So when she struck out I thought, 'Oh no.'
"But it was a great thing because the rest of the kids picked her up and we got several runs."
It wasn't a great way for the Warriors to close the season, especially for the team's five seniors. But Camenzind said the Panthers were just too talented to hold down.
"They were a good team, and their pitcher was really dominant," said Camenzind, who felt like she was hitting her spots. "That's the best team we've faced all season."
