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October 4, 2001
By Jim Thomas It has been a long, up hill struggle for the Montezuma-Cortez High School varsity softball team, but they finally notched their first win of the season on Friday, Sept. 26, in the second game of a doubleheader against Palisade at the Cortez Softball Complex. After ending last season with high hopes after a .500 finish, the Panthers suffered a few setbacks at the start of the fall but hopes were still there for a good season. However, mistakes after mistakes, both physical and mental, have derailed this season. One bad inning a game has meant disaster. As a result, the Panthers are struggling at 1-14. However, in their lone win, they won convincingly 10-2 as the visiting team in that game. The Panthers exploded for four runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth with their other run coming in the top of the third. In the top of the fifth inning, MCHS took advantage of three errors by the Bulldogs. Brittany Whiteman knocked in a run with a sacrifice bunt. Another run came home when Chelsea Cook put down a perfect bunt. Jena Thompson put down a perfect suicide bunt. The sixth inning was highlighted by RBI singles by Linda Smart and Amanda Johnson. Thompson also brought in a run with a long sacrifice fly. After Palisade had scored a run in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the second, the Panthers pulled within 2-1 in the top of the third when Shannon Story reached first on an error, went to second off a sacrifice bunt by Smart, and brought home from a single by Thompson. "We have been working and working on bunts. It finally paid off for us," MCHS head coach Charlie Rosenbaugh said following the twin bill. "I think it is finally starting to come together. The girls did a nice job in putting down those sacrifice bunts." Defensively for the Panthers, they still made a few errors but not bunched in one inning like in many previous games. Shannon Story pitched a strong game for the Panthers while picking up the win. After a shaky first two innings, she settled down and got the Bulldogs to ground out for most of the outs. Story did an excellent job pitching, according to Rosenbaugh. The Panthers (this time the home team) played well in the first game, despite losing 6-5. Palisade’s Jennifer Costeldia ripped a single that brought home Sammie Richards who had walked in the first inning. The Bulldogs went ahead 4-0 by pushing three runs over the plate in the bottom of the second. Again, errors (three) hampered the team during that frame. Dana Martin cracked a single which brought home two runs. Richards scored after drilling a single and then moving all the way to third off an error in the fifth. The Bulldogs’ winning run came in the seventh when Richards drilled a single, went to second from a sacrifice bunt, zipped to third on a wild pitch, and then came home on a single by Costeldia. Cortez pushed one run over the plate in the bottom of the third when Cook cracked a triple and scored on a bunt single by Smart. In the fifth, Thompson blasted a triple and scored on an error. MCHS scored three times in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5. McKenzie Reed, Alizya Baker, and Cook all scored. Smart and Cook each singled during the frame. Cook pitched a good game for the Panthers despite taking the loss. "We played a lot better today than we have all season. We cut down errors and we played much better defense. We made some nice plays. The pitchers a good job for us. The girls came out here today and had fun and won one," he added. The Panthers lost for the second time this season to rival Durango, losing 9-8 on Sept. 25 at Fort Lewis College after committing a lot of errors. The Demons had their share of errors, making nine, six of which game when Cortez scored four times in the second inning. But the Panthers made six errors, but some of those leading to big innings for the Demons. Cortez almost won the game, though, after they sacrificed in a couple runs in the seventh inning, but left the tying run stranded at third. After scoring a run in the first inning, Durango almost collapsed in the second. The Demons committed six miscues as four Panthers crossed the plate. Helped by a pair of errors, Durango quickly loaded the bases in the next inning. The game became tied at 4-4. Hollee Hutchens then doubled to left to bring two more runners around, giving her team a lead for good. The Demons pushed two more runs over the dish in the fourth, both on Cortez errors, and scored their final run on a fielder’s choice in the fifth. Cortez scored four more runs, all on fielder’s choices with the exception of a sixth-inning RBI single by McKenzie Reed. Thompson threw six innings, allowing nine runs while giving up seven hits and a couple of walks. She registered two strikeouts. Cari Mosley pitched a complete game for Durango, allowing eight unearned runs on seven hits. She struck out three and walked one. Grand Junction was a 9-2, 5-0 winner over MCHS. Julie Griffith improved to 3-4 after picking up the win in the first game. Megan Starr tossed a shutout in the second game. Brittany Hazelhurst has established herself as a quality starting pitcher on the Central of Grand Junction High School softball team. The freshman tossed a one-hitter on Sept. 21 against MCHS in a 15-1 victory, helping the Warriors sweep the Panthers in a Southwestern League doubleheader at Kronkright Softball Complex. Central won the first game 12-1. Hazelhurst posted the best outing of her young career, securing her fourth victory in five starts. She struck out eight batters while walking just one. Pitcher Jami Cason picked up the win in the first game, allowing three hits and striking out eight. Emily Hayter's double, along with Whitney Holler's three RBI. The second game was a carbon copy of the first, with strong pitching and timely hitting for the Warriors. Central erupted for 20 hits, sparked by a 3-run home run by Rebecca McClelland and four hits and two RBI by Holler. |
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez
Journal. All rights reserved. |
