A week after she surrendered 10 hits and three runs in a victory at Flanagan, Cooper City senior pitcher Kara Clauss was determined to improve on the performance.

With some of the Cooper City fans chanting her name in the seventh inning, Clauss completed a no-hitter and struck out eight to lead the Cowboys to a 1-0 victory against visiting Flanagan in a Class 6A regional semifinal Friday night.

''I really had to focus harder on this game beforehand,'' Clauss said. ``The things I did last time when we played against them, I wanted to make sure I didn't do again. I really concentrated and focused harder to do what I had to do.''

Clauss allowed just two runners to reach base -- a second-inning leadoff walk and a sixth-inning error.

''Kara's awesome,'' Cooper City coach Kerry Kelly said. ``Kara has been working really hard all year. She's injury free. She was really in her zone tonight. She's always in her zone, but tonight she really just beared down, and she threw her game. She hit all her spots. She was just mentally focused.''

Flanagan (22-5) advanced a runner to third in the second inning after Amanda Schmidt walked, stole second and took third on a fielder's choice. But Clauss (10-3) struck out Nicole Fernandez to end the inning.

''The last time we lost, we couldn't do the little things,'' Flanagan coach Chandler Searcy said. ``We couldn't lay down bunts and stuff like that. None of that came into play today. We couldn't hit, and we're a great hitting ball club. . . . We beat this girl around last time and had double-digit hits. We didn't have one today. Not one. That hurts a lot.''

The Cowboys (20-8) scored the game's lone run in the bottom of the first. Karina Rios singled to center and stole second. Laura Fountain followed with a double to left field. Megan Horta charged the fly ball, but came too shallow. The ball sailed over her head, and Rios came around from second to score.

Cooper City took the season series two games to one, with a 4-3 victory a week ago to win the District 12-6A title. All three games were decided by one run.

• Class 4A regional semifinal -- Pembroke Pines Charter 3, Archbishop McCarthy 0: For the first three innings, the Jaguars' grip on the nation's top ranking seemed in doubt. Pembroke Pines Charter's first six hitters were retired in order, and the team had a two-run double by Alicia Sisco negated when the home plate umpire ruled she left the batter's box too early.

But the Jaguars (28-0) added the eventual game-winner in the fourth and added runs in the fifth and sixth to advance to next Tuesday's regional final.

''This is a veteran team,'' Pembroke Pines Charter coach Tom Fadul said. 'The kids are focused. There's not too much that rattles them or takes them out of focus. No one likes to take two runs off the board. I was thinking `oh no' to myself, but I didn't show it.''

Kandyce Redondo reached on a bunt single to lead off the fourth and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Audrey Broyles. Brittney Pugh followed with an RBI-single to left.

The Mavericks (20-9) were held to just two hits.

-- BOB EMANUEL JR.

St. Thomas Aquinas (25-3) gave up a run in the seventh inning Friday night, but it wasn't a killer, the Raiders holding off host Barron Collier 2-1 in a Class 5A regional semifinal.

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