Oasis Academy’s Fenn Mackedon pitches against Pershing County on Friday.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
The Oasis Academy softball team saved its season in the final week and looks to make a run for the state tournament when the 1A Northern Regional begins Friday.
After being swept by the top seed, Coleville, 7-6 and 15-3, on May 2, the Bighorns needed to win the remaining four games, including a doubleheader against Carlin. Oasis Academy swept the Railroaders, 8-7 and 11-8, on Thursday, knocking out the Elko County school from the playoffs before sweeping Sierra Sage, 20-10 and 29-5, on Saturday.
Oasis Academy (12-6) picked up the fourth and final seed for the regional tournament and will face Coleville (14-2) again on Friday at 9 a.m. at Smith Valley. No. 2 Pyramid Lake (14-4) faces No. 3 Smith Valley (13-5) in the other matchup at 11:15 a.m. The losers play Friday afternoon followed by the championship semifinal between the winners of the morning games. The consolation final, which will determine the second team going to state, is Saturday at 9 a.m. followed by the championship at 11:30 a.m.
Aside from the Smith Valley regular-season series, which Oasis Academy won on the road two weeks ago, the Bighorns are 0-4 against Coleville and Pyramid Lake. In the opener of each series, the Bighorns lost by one run before losing by double-digits in the second game.
The story of the week, though, was the series sweep over Carlin, which sealed the Bighorns’ playoff berth.
After jumping to a 5-0 lead, Oasis Academy needed a last-inning comeback to win the first game at the East Richards field.
Down 7-6 with Kirsten Detamosi on second after a steal, senior Stacy Bogdanowicz singled to tie the game. Bogdanowicz, though, was picked off at second before Dahlila Creer struck out for the second out of the inning. An error on fielding a bunt allowed Serenity Law to reach first, advancing Lorena Rios, who singled earlier, to advance to third. Rios stole home and Law also crossed the plate on an outfielder error to end the game.
Detamosi struck out 10 and allowed five earned runs and five hits in the win.
The Bighorns didn’t need a comeback to win the second game but the Wolves came one run shy, 6-5, in the third inning when they nearly erased a 6-0 deficit.
Darst stole home in the third inning to add to Oasis Academy’s 7-5 lead, and Laca stole both third and home in the next inning. Ahead 8-7 in the fifth, Kaylin Guthrie scored Eneyde Rios on a fielder’s choice, Detamosi walked to score Taylynn Maynez and Bogdanowicz singled in Guthrie and Laca for the 12-7 lead.
Detamosi struck out four in six innings, allowing one earned run and eight hits.
Against Coleville, Oasis led late in the first game after coming back from a 3-2 deficit with two runs in the sixth before breaking a 4-4 tie in the seventh with another pair of runs.
Lorena Rios smacked a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence, scoring Bogdanowicz, to give Oasis Academy a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. After Coleville tied the game on a steal in the bottom half of the inning, the Bighorns returned the favor when Darst stole home on a 1-1 count in the seventh. Grace Laca stole home in the next at-bat, increasing the lead to 6-4.
Coleville tied the game in the home half of the inning when Mariah Coriaarmenta hit a 2-1 pitch over center.
Oasis Academy almost took the lead in the following inning when Lorena Rios was caught stealing home. But the Wolves’ Coriaarmenta lined a double into right field to win the game.
Kirsten Detamosi struck out 14 in the loss.
The nightcap saw Coleville jump out to a 12-3 lead after three innings before the Wolves ended the game with three runs in the fifth.
Guthrie and Detamosi each drove in a run for Oasis Academy, which totaled four hits in the game. Detamosi took the loss, allowing eight earned runs and 14 hits while striking out six.
In the final doubleheader of the year, Oasis Academy turned a 9-4 deficit to a 14-9 lead in the second inning.
Bogdanowicz, who picked up the win in the circle with a 10-strikeout performance, led the team with three hits and four RBIs. Guthrie drove in two on three hits and Eneyde Rios had three RBIs and one hit.
The Bighorns scored 21 runs in the first inning of the last game.
Guthrie drove in five on two hits, including a homer, and Maynez and Bogdanowicz, who struck out six in three innings, each had four RBIs. Creer and Eneyde Rios each drove in three, and Laca, Lorena Rios and Darst each had two RBIs.
Bighorns baseball wins 2 of 3
Competing in the school’s first baseball season, Oasis Academy won a pair of games against a 1A playoff team and school from the 2A.
The Bighorns blanked Pyramid Lake, 14-0, on Tuesday in Nixon before splitting a Friday doubleheader with 2A Pershing County, 6-5 and 11-13.
Oasis Academy, which wasn’t eligible for postseason this year, finished the year 12-4 with losses coming to Smith Valley, Wells and Pershing County. The Bighorns move to the 2A next school year.
Five players had multiple hits with sophomore Fenn Mackedon driving in three on a single and triple. Sophomore Zach Budner and freshman Trevor Barrenchea each drove in two on two singles, and brothers Casamaro and Kayden White each had two hits and one RBI. Freshman Ryder McNabb doubled in two runs, and junior S Gomez Holgun and freshman W Scott each singled in one.
McNabb (two innings), Mackedon (two) and Budner (one) combined for the shutout, totaling six strikeouts and allowing only two hits.
In Friday’s opener, Oasis Academy came back from a 3-1 deficit to take the lead, 4-3, in the fifth inning before adding two in the sixth.
Freshman Matthew Bird led the team with three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Senior Casamaro White, and freshmen Kayden White and James Thibodaux each had two hits. Gomez Holguin singled in two runs and Barrenchea also had a single and an RBI.
Budner and Bird pitched with Bird striking out eight in four innings.
The Bighorns led most of the second game, jumping out to a 9-5 lead after four innings. The Mustangs, though, outscored the hosts 8-2 to win the game.
Bird, Budner, Mackedon and McNabb each had three hits with Mackedon leading the offense with four RBIs, two doubles and a triple. McNabb drove in two and also tripled.
Mackedon started on the hill, striking out five in three innings, and McNabb finished the game but allowed eight earned runs and 11 hits.