Softball Splits On Day One Of Region Tournament
The Yavapai College softball team earned hosting rights to the NJCAA Division I Region I Tournament and split its first two games of the tournament on Friday afternoon at Bill Vallely Field, defeating the Pima Community College Aztecs 8-0 before falling to the Central Arizona College Vaqueras with a score of 5-3.
Game One
Freshman pitcher Emily Darwin was stellar in her game-one start against Pima as she tossed a five-inning shutout that featured just one hit allowed and eight strikeouts.
With Darwin mowing the Aztecs down, the Yavapai bats went to work and pieced together a pair of big two-out rallies.
In the bottom of the second, after Pima walked the bases loaded, sophomore outfielder Mia Weckel drove an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead and was followed by a two-RBI single off the bat of fellow sophomore outfielder Kayla Rodgers.
Leading 3-0 and still in the second, Rodgers stole second base while Weckel stole home for another run and later came around to score on an RBI single off the bat of freshman infielder Lovey Kepa’a.
Up 5-0, the Roughriders pieced together another two-out rally in the bottom of the third as freshman infielder Makena Riggs singled to lead things off and freshman outfielder Sierra Griego singled with two outs to bring Weckel to the plate.
The sophomore promptly put the game out of reach with a three-run homer to centerfield that brought the score to its final of 8-0.
At the plate, in game one, Weckel led the way with two hits, two runs scored and four RBIs while Rodgers, Kepa’a, freshman catcher Jasmine Moreno, Riggs and Griego all finished with one hit apiece.
Game Two
The Roughriders matched up with the Vaqueras in Friday’s winner’s-bracket contest after Central defeated Eastern 9-6 in the first game of the day.
The ballgame got off to a great start for Yavapai as Weckel made a stellar sliding catch to lead the game off defensively and followed the web gem up with an opposite-field solo homer to lead the game off offensively.
Later in the bottom of the first, Kepa’a drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Moreno singled in a run for a 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately for YC, it was held off of the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest while Central scored twice on a two-out double in the fourth, once on a two-out homer in the fifth and twice on a two-out triple in the seventh to bring the score to its final of 5-3.
At the plate, in game two, Weckel and freshman infielder Yaya Kaaialii each registered two hits while Rodgers and Moreno each had one.
Up Next
The Roughriders play the Eastern Arizona College Gila Monsters (who eliminated Pima with an 8-0 win in game three on Friday) in an elimination game tomorrow (May 14) with first pitch set for 10 a.m. The winner of that game will face the Vaqueras at 12:30 p.m.
– D.J. Irwin
