Photos by Shannon Litz/Nevada Appeal
Losing a doubleheader hurts, but Western Nevada College's softball team had nothing to be ashamed about Friday afternoon.
The Wildcats played solid softball against nationally ranked Salt Lake Community College, but lost 5-0 and 8-0 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play at Edmunds Sports Complex .
This was much better than the season-opening series when the teams squared off. Salt Lake outscored WNC 37-2 in the four-game set, and none of the games were remotely close.
The teams close out the four-game series today with a doubleheader starting at 12 noon.
"It was good," said third baseman-pitcher Ashley Hall. "We kept them on their toes. It gives us more confidence."
"I'm proud of their effort," WNC coach Leah Wentworth said. "Our defense was a huge improvement from last week against Southern Idaho. We made only one error on the day, and we made them play every pitch. The pitchers did a good job."
Especially Hall, who is the closest thing WNC has to an ace pitcher these days. She allowed four of Salt Lake's runs in the first game before turning the ball over to Jamie Klopatek.
"I threw well (in the first game)," Hall said. "I was strong and hit most of my spots."
It was scoreless through two innings, and the Bruins went ahead 1-0 in the third when No. 9 hitter Brooke Budge singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Krystn Jachim's single to right.
After a scoreless fourth, the Bruins added three more runs in the fifth, two coming on a homer by Jachim. Becky Simonsen's infield single drove home the other run.
Trailing 4-0 entering the last of the sixth, the Wildcats finally seemed to solve Ariel Zimmerman, who retired 15 of the first 16 she faced.
Jordan Thomas doubled to left-centerfield and moved to third on a single by Tera Tibbitts. Melanie Pfeiffer reached first on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Sarah Cuddahy, however, followed by hitting into a 1-2-3 double play and Niki DeSera struck out to end the inning.
Salt Lake added one in the seventh on a triple by Trina Gomez and a single by Madi White off Klopatek.
The Wildcats put runners on first and second in the seventh thanks to a walk and error, but Zimmerman struck out Klopatek and got Thomas on a soft liner to short.
Wentworth was not happy about the approach of her hitters.
"We knew what she was going to do," Wentworth said. "We didn't make an adjustment quick enough. We were a little better in the second game."
In the second game, Salt Lake wasted little time in getting started, scoring five runs off Cassie Vondrak, who didn't retire a batter in the second before being lifted in favor of Hall.
All three Salt Lake runs in the first were unearned when Thomas failed to step on first base after receiving a throw from Vondrak on Becky Simonsen's bunt attempt. After Jachim struck out looking, Savanah Webster doubled home Simonsen. White and Shay Wallace also contributed run-scoring singles.
Kyle Brinkerhoff made it 4-0 with a solo homer leading off the second, and Jachim singled home Simonsen home moments later for a 5-0 deficit. Hall retired the next three hitters.
"Cassie was a little up and down," Wentworth said. "She had some good moments, but when she misses, she finds too much of the plate, and they can hit the ball."
Like the first game, WNC's offense was virtually non-existent until the fifth when the Wildcats got two-out singles from Melanie Pfeiffer and Cuddahy. Kylee Colvin, who scattered nine hits in the second game, retired DiSera to end the threat.
The Bruins made it 7-0 in the top of the sixth when White drilled a two-run homer to left-centerfield.
WNC loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Megan Hein, Vondrak and Thomas. With one out, Klopatek lined a ball to short and Jachim doubled Vondrak off second to end the inning.
White's infield out made it 8-0 in the top of the seventh, and Colvin easily retired the Wildcats to end the game.
"We needed to come up with some timely hits, and we weren't able to do that," Wentworth said. "We had some opportunities."