WNC Softball: Wildcats bombard Coyotes in Henderson
Western Nevada College's offense continued to sing and sting at College of Southern Nevada on Saturday afternoon. After scoring 31 runs and connecting for 27 hits during a Scenic West Athletic Conference softball doubleheader sweep on Friday, the Wildcats raked Coyotes pitching for 12 hits in a 15-0 opening-game win Saturday in Henderson.
The second game was canceled because of rain.
The Wildcats of Carson City established a new program record with their 24th overall win and were trying to become first WNC team to finish .500 or better in the SWAC. WNC (24-26 overall and 19-20 in the SWAC) enters the Region 18 tournament as the No. 4 seed and will meet Colorado Northwestern at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Taylorsville, Utah. SWAC champion Salt Lake Community College is serving as the tournament host. If the Wildcats win their tournament opener, they will meet Salt Lake at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Almost lost in the Wildcats' offensive fireworks was the near perfection of sophomore pitcher Kristina George. George took a perfect game into the final inning, but Chandie Perez lined a one-out single to center, spoiling the bid for perfection. Center fielder Dakota Robinson threw out Perez trying to stretch the hit into a double, and George finished off the one-hitter by striking out Emily Guthrie.
In her five innings of work, George retired 10 Coyotes on fly outs, two on groundballs, two on strikeouts and one on Robinson's outfield assist.
Briauna Carter, Kacie Freudenberger and Noa Talia combined to drive in 10 runs as the Wildcats made short work of the Coyotes for the third time in the series. Carter was 3 for 4 with four RBI and two runs scored, Freudenberger was 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run and Talia was 1 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored. Bailey Henderson went 2 for 2 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Freudenberger, who knocked in six runs on Friday, got the Wildcats off to a fast start with a two-run double in the first inning. Her two-bagger plated Melanie Mecham and Henderson. Makaylee Jaussi started the three-run first with a double and came home on Henderson's single.
WNC left the bases loaded in the second inning, but the Coyotes weren't as fortunate in the third when the Wildcats filled the bases. For the second time in the series, the Wildcats put a crooked number seven on the scoreboard.
The decisive third began with Carter lining a double and advancing to third base on Talia's fly out to right. Following a walk to Gabrielle Canibeyaz, Dakota Robinson knocked in her 12th run of the series with a double. CSN pitcher Shonda Badayos assisted the rally by walking Triniece Lesky, Jaussi and Henderson to force home two more Wildcat runs for a 6-0 lead. Freudenberger's two-out RBI single scored Lesky and Carter's two-run base hit made the score 9-0. The Coyotes extended the inning with an error on Talia's groundball, allowing Freudenberger to cross the plate with the final run of the inning.
Carter delivered her second two-run hit in the fifth inning, increasing WNC's advantage to 12-0. Later in the inning, Talia crushed her sixth homer of the season, a two-run shot that staked the Wildcats to a 15-0 lead.