The Battle Mountain High School softball team finished out its regular season in strong fashion with a three-game sweep of Incline, outscoring the Highlanders 52-13.
The Lady Longhorns (11-7 Division III North, 16-9-1 overall) opened with a 12-2 win on Friday afternoon. Battle Mountain gradually increased its lead throughout the contest. After opening with a single run in the first inning, the Lady Longhorns scored two runs apiece in the second, third and fourth innings to lead 7-0.
Incline scored its only runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Battle Mountain quickly answered with five runs in the top of the fifth inning to win the game by the 10-run rule.
Ashley Haney was 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored and three RBI. Marissa Rogers went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Kylie Sondermann picked up two hits, drove in two runs and scored a run.
Jade Harkness went the distance in the circle to earn the win. The senior allowed two runs on three hits and she struck out four.
In Saturday’s first game, Battle Mountain came out firing with eight runs in the top of the first inning and were never threatened. Incline fought back with three runs in the in the bottom of the first, but the offense went dry from there and the Lady Longhorns went on to win 14-3.
Battle Mountain added two runs in the second, third and fifth innings to end the game early by the 10-run rule once again.
Sondermann led the hitting attack, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and four RBI. The junior also picked the win for the Lady Longhorns in the complete-game effort. She allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. She struck out four and walked none.
Haney was 2-for-2 in the contest with five RBI and a run scored and Rogers also collected two hits. Kali Kester, Jonni Davis, McKenna Jones, Itzela Martinez, Liscet Diaz and Riane Schroeder all had one hit.
Battle Mountain wrapped up the sweep, claiming the nightcap 26-8. The Lady Longhorns took a 1-0 advantage into the second inning where they scored 14 runs. Incline got as close as 19-7 after three innings, only to see Battle Mountain score the next seven runs.
The Lady Longhorns pounded out 18 hits, with Sondermann going 4-for-4 with seven RBI and two runs scored. Kester had two hits and three RBI, Jones added two hits and two RBI and Martinez and Schroeder each had two hits and one RBI.
Harkness picked up the win allowing just one earned run out of the seven. She struck out six and walked one.
Battle Mountain will make the trip to Lovelock for the Division III North Regional Championships. The Lady Longhorns will face Pershing County at 10 a.m. on Friday. Yerington and West Wendover play at noon Friday.
The losers of the opening round games will play at 2 p.m. on Friday and the winners meet at 4 p.m. A second elimination game will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday with the championship at noon. If a second title game is needed, it will be played 30 minutes following the first game.
The top two teams advance to the NIAA State Softball Championships at The Meadows School and the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas from May 14-16.
