|
Centennial remains all smiles as season winds down
Coyotes sweep Desert West series from Ironwood
If you watch the Centennial softball team enough, you'll learn something about this team - the players never stop smiling.
A double that falls between the left fielder and center fielder? Smiles. A sharp single past the third baseman? Grins all around.
That's not to say they don't take the game seriously, they want to win, but as Coach Bartt Underwood said, it's about 13 girls pulling for each other and having fun.
"As coaches, we always tell the players there are 13 girls on this team and not one is more important than the other," Underwood said. "We want each girl to be the best they can be. They also know they have one job on this team and that is to get better. So that's why you hear the girls at the fence cheering on their teammate at the plate or on the bases. They want to see each other succeed."
And it's easy to grin, too, when you're winning, as the Coyotes did at home Wednesday, defeating 5A Desert West rival Ironwood, 7-0. The Eagles fell to 10-11 (3-4 in Desert West action) on the season.
The Coyotes (19-3, 6-1 in league play) gave staff workhorse Gabby Luciani the day off, and handed the ball to right hander Morgan Montemayor. Going primarily with a curve ball-screwball game plan - and a drop ball that she said was her best pitch of the day - Montemayor kept the Eagle hitters off balance and off the bases.
"That was pretty cool today," Montemayor said. "Gabby pitches a lot, so it was nice to get in there and help my team."
Montemayor, who faced two hitters over the minimum, allowed one base runner to reach third - a fourth inning double by Eagle pitcher Jessica Belsterling who moved to third on a ground out - and gave up three hits. The sophomore struck out 12 Eagles, including six through the first three innings, without allowing a walk.
"I wouldn't say it was my best, but I think I'm getting pretty close," Montemayor said.
"Having both pitchers comes in very handy during the state tournament," Underwood said. "Some teams don't have that ability to throw two good starters, and - this is no indictment on any team - some may feel they have to throw their best pitcher every game. My thought is if I have that ability, I'm going to use it.
"What if something happens to your best pitcher - maybe she's gets hurt or is sick? What do you do then? I know some folks will say, ‘well coach, you're 0-4 in state title games," well so be it, but I think the team is better off if it can go with two pitchers."
And for the first three innings, Belsterling was matching the Coyote hurler out for out. The Eagle sophomore retired the first eight hitters she faced, and if not for high throw on a nibbler by third baseman Ashley Eaves, it would have been nine straight.
As was the case when these two teams hooked up April 9 - another 7-0 win for the Coyotes - it was the fourth inning that got things rolling for Centennial.
With one out, No. 3 hitter Krystal Garcia worked a walk, and center fielder Samantha Riojas followed with a singled. Montemayor then bounced one over Belsterling, who deflected the ball to shortstop Terra Curtiss and had to throw to first for the out while Garcia scored the game's first run.
That brought first baseman Jami Ladd to the plate.
"(Ladd) has worked hard this season," Underwood said. "She really struggled at the start of the year, but she stayed positive and kept working and just waited until things turned around for her."
It really turned around Wednesday for the junior when she drove an 0-and-1 pitched to center fielder that just continued to drift back, falling just past the outfield wall for a two-run homer.
Centennial tacked on some more runs in the fifth, doing most of its damage with two outs. Third baseman Paige Tonz started the rally with a one-out base hit. Pinch hitting for Garcia, Luciani dribbled one that appeared to go off her toe but was not called by the home plate umpire, and throw by Eaves sailed past first baseman Bridget Kratz, allowing Tonz to score from first.
Taylor Underwood followed with a pinch-hit single, moving Garcia (who ran for Luciani) to third. The string of base runners continued as Colette Siroky, hitting for Montemayor, singled to score Garcia. Ladd followed suit with an RBI double, scoring Siroky. Right fielder Jessica Jayo then chopped one to second that got away from Nicole Kogel, but with Ladd on the move, Eagle center fielder Amanda Brimie hit Kogel who fired a strike to catcher Nikki Powers who tagged out Ladd to end the inning.
"The first time through the lineup we weren't that aggressive at the plate," said the Centennial skipper. "I was calling some plays early on, like slug bunts, but it wasn't until we had runners on base that we could really get things going. That's when we started going with some hit and runs and getting some hard hits. But Jessica (Belsterling) is the type of pitcher that the longer she goes in the game it just builds her confidence."
Ladd paced the Centennial hitters, going 2-for-3 with a double, a homerun and three RBI. Riojas also went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, and two runs scored.
The Coyotes will hit the road for their next two games, visiting Tolleson Thursday and Westview Tuesday, before closing the season out against first place Sunrise Mountain at home Wednesday. The finale's first pitch will be at 4 p.m.
"That's a great way to finish the season and should be another good game," Underwood said.
