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ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. — It only took Whittell 10 innings to sweep Silver Stage on Friday afternoon and advance to the second round of the Northern Nevada 2A softball playoffs, routing the Hawks 10-0 and 14-0, in the best-of-three series in Zephyr Cove.
Amanda Harris had two hits in Whittell’s first game against. That’s one more than she allowed Silver Stage to get, pitching a one-hitter to lead the Warriors to a 10-0 win in a shortened game.
“I think it’s one of the better games she’s pitched,” head coach Dave Galicia said. “She definitely had control of the strike zone.
“Her rise ball is just getting better and better, and batters can’t lay off of it.”
“I definitely liked using the rise ball today, cause when I threw it right they couldn’t get their bats on it,” Harris said. “I’m definitely amped up because we play them every year to get to zone and it’s a big game for us.”
Harris complimented her defense, which allowed two errors, with the junior pitcher forcing seven ground balls.
“When they would get those hard hit balls, they would come up with them,” she said.
He lights-out performance on the rubber was backed up by Whittell’s offense, lighting up Silver Stage’s pitching for 10 runs, that included six in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Jessie Sayre ripped two triples — one to lead off the bottom of the third inning resulting in a score, and an RBI hit that put Whittell up 6-0 — to compliment a two-hit game from Nina Jimenez, who had also had an RBI and steal in the first game.
“We got off to little bit of a slow start, but I was happy with our hitting, our aggressive base running and of course Amanda’s pitching,” Galicia said. “Jessie, she stepped up. She worked really hard this week at practice, and a couple days ago with the way she was hitting I knew she was going to step up for us.”
“I felt really really strong coming up to bat,” Sayre said. “I really don’t think about anything (at the plate). I clear my head and focus on the ball.”
Whittell first got on the board in the second on a Megan Miller bunt with bases loaded, bringing home one run and another on a bad throw by the third baseman fielding the bunt to the player covering third. Bri Brewer hit a line-drive double next, scoring Kendal Ferris to make it 3-0.
Harris had a one-two-three inning in the third, followed by one of Sayre’s two triples to lead off the bottom of the inning. She was plated by catcher Emily Harris on a RBI single to left field to extend the Warriors lead to 4-0.
In the fourth, Miller singled on a fielder’s choice and then proceeded to steal second, third and home on a passed ball. Galicia estimated that Miller has stolen over 35 bases this season without being caught once. Later in the inning, Sayre’s second triple of the game scored Brewer and the first baseman then took home on a passed ball to make it 7-0. Jimenez brought home Emily Harris for Whittel’s eighth run, and scored on a Ferris RBI single to go up 9-0. Their final run came on another passed ball.
A scoreless four-batter inning in the top of the fifth, in which Amanda Harris gave up her only hit, locked up the win.
“I think all around the team focused and it’s clicking at the right time,” Galicia said. “I’m one happy coach with the team.”
The second game was more of the same for Whittell, with the Warriors jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the third. Sayre continued to get it done at the plate, with a two-RBI single in the first to give Whittell an early lead. She ended the second game 2-for-3 at the plate. Miller also had two RBIs, with Brewer and Nicki Simon each bringing in one run as well. Sammy Rupp was 2-for-2 on the day, also reaching on an error that scored a run. Emily Harris went 2-for-3.
The Warriors scored eight runs in the fourth to go up 13-0, forcing the mercy rule.
“Just really happy with the way they played,” Galicia said of his team in the second game. “Our bottom end of the line up came through, they fought and did what they could to get on base.”
The Warriors will travel to Yerington next week to face either Yerington or White Pine in the second round of the playoffs.
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