WNC Softball: Wildcat's George Blanks Spartans for Second Time

Kristina George has Colorado Northwestern's number. The Western Nevada College sophomore pitcher of Carson City blanked the Spartans for the second time this season, 6-0, in the opener of a four-game Scenic West Athletic Conference softball series on Friday in Rangely, Colo.

She came back to earn the win in Game 2 with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief as the Wildcats rallied for a 3-2 victory.

Two of George's three shutouts this season have come against Colorado Northwestern, and her pair of decisions on Friday gave her four straight victories over the Spartans.

Fresh off her SWAC Pitcher of the Week award for shutting down fourth-ranked Salt Lake's offense the previous weekend, George continued her mastery of the Spartans, tossing a five-hit shutout. She has now won eight of her past 11 decisions.

"She's getting more and more comfortable in the circle and there is a great dynamic between her and (catcher) Bailey (Henderson)," said WNC coach Leah Wentworth. "We charted their hitters last time and she felt really confident what she could do, then dominated their offense."

Shortstop Makaylee Jaussi paced WNC's offensive attack in the opener by going 2 for 4 with two runs scored and a RBI.

The teams were separated by only half a game in the SWAC standings entering the four-game series.
CNCC dropped to 7-20 in the SWAC and 11-22 overall. WNC of Carson City improved to 11-19 and 16-25 overall.

"The defense was really making some heads-up plays to take some pressure off our pitchers," Wentworth said.

"We have talked about finishing games and finding ways late in innings to seal the deal, and in the second game we pushed on and capitalized on the opportunity.

"We're embracing a winning mentality and doing everything to make sure that happens. We've been working on making our weaknesses strengths, and we're starting to see that happen as season goes along."

WNC opened the scoring in the first inning of the opener when Kacie Freudenberger knocked in Henderson on a sacrifice fly. Henderson moved into scoring position when she and Melanie Mecham executed a one-out double steal against Taylor Reidhead, who started in the circle for the Spartans.

The Wildcats were double trouble for the Spartans in the third inning. Two-base hits by Jaussi, Briauna Carter and Noa Talia generated a four-run uprising, putting WNC ahead 5-0. The Spartans committed three errors during the rally.
George diffused a Spartan comeback bid in the fourth. After surrendering one-out singles to Kayla Chase and Makenna Fox, she retired the next two CNCC hitters on infield popups, keeping the score 5-0.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the fourth as Jaussi singled to left field, stole second base and came home on Henderson's base hit to right field.

Chase did her best to put CNCC on the board in the fifth, launching a one-out triple to center field. But she was stranded on third base as George struck out Natasha Barker looking, then benefited from Jaussi snagging a line drive off the bat of Reidhead.

George took a five-hit shutout into the bottom of the seventh inning and kept the Spartans off the scoreboard by retiring them in order.

While rain and snow moved into Northern Nevada on Friday, the teams enjoyed spring weather conditions in the upper-70s.

In the second game, the Wildcats rallied behind a sixth-inning rally and the relief pitching of George.
WNC went on top 1-0 in the opening frame on a two-out single by Freudenberger, which scored Jaussi.
But CNCC knotted the score at 1 on Reidhead's RBI double off Kaitlyn Jimmy in the third.

In the fifth, the Spartans took their first lead of the day, 2-1, as Chase scored an unearned run on a botched bunt play. George prevented further damage by getting the final two outs of the inning.

The Wildcats, however, struck back in the sixth with a two-out rally. A two-out walk to Carter, followed by Talia's infield single to put runners on first and second bases. Gabrielle Canibeyaz, who has delivered in the clutch in previous wins this season, came through with a two-run double to center, putting WNC back on top, 3-2.

"Gabby had a great at-bat before, and in her next at-bat when we really needed her to keep the rally going, she hit it hard to the right-center gap," Wentworth said. "She hit it really well and it allowed Bri and Noa an opportunity to score and put us ahead."

George allowed the Spartans' leadoff hitter to reach base in the bottom of the sixth, but Ashton Bell's bunt attempt turned into disaster for the Spartans. After the bunt was smoothly retrieved by George on her glove side, she threw to Canibeyaz, who was covering first, for the force out, then the second baseman fired to Jaussi at second to catch the runner rounding the base too far.

"That was huge, and that took the wind out of their sails a little bit," Wentworth said.
As she did in the opener, George retired the Spartans in order in the seventh inning.

Jimmy threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up only two hits. Both of the Spartans were unearned.

Talia accounted for three of the Wildcats' seven hits.

The teams are scheduled to conclude their series with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.