The Battle Mountain High School softball team inched closer to a regional playoff spot after picking up three wins over Silver Stage last week.
The series began Wednesday, April 20, in Battle Mountain with the Lady Longhorns collecting a 17-2 victory. The Nighthawks made the trip back to Battle Mountain last Saturday, with the Lady Longhorns winning both games 18-3 and 10-0.
Battle Mountain moved into third place in the Division III North at 7-5 with six games left in the regular season.
BMHS crushes
Nighthawks
After a scoreless first inning to the series-opener, Battle Mountain dominated Silver Stage from there. The Lady Longhorns scored five runs in the second and third innings and seven more in the fourth inning to build a 17-0 advantage.
The Nighthawks scored their lone runs in the fifth inning, as Kylie Sondermann dominated in the circle for the complete-game effort. The senior struck out seven and walked two in five innings.
Thirteen different players drove in a run for Battle Mountain. McKenna Jones was the only player with more than one. Morgan Fischer led Battle Mountain with two hits. Kali Kester, Jonni Davis, Jones, Morgan Salazar, Liscet Diaz, Jenna Leavitt, Sondermann, Marissa Rogers and Riane Schroeder each had one hit.
Lady Longhorns roll to mercy-rule win
It was much of the same story in Saturday’s first game as Battle Mountain scored 14 runs in the second inning and was never threatened by Silver Stage.
Jones was the hitting star as she went 3-for-3 with two doubles. She had three RBI and a run scored. Rogers had two hits, including a long home run. The sophomore drove in five runs and scored three more.
Salazar, Sondermann and Schroeder had one hit apiece and drove in two runs each. Yulissa Vazquez got the start in the circle and she got the complete-game victory. The junior allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits. She walked two and struck out two.
BMHS blanks Silver Stage
Battle Mountain closed out the series in style with a 10-0 victory in five innings.
The Lady Longhorns plated five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Battle Mountain added two runs apiece in the second and third innings to lead 9-0. A single run in the bottom of the fifth inning ended the contest on the 10-run mercy rule.
Sondermann was 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. The senior also combined with Jones and Vazquez in the circle. Silver Stage had just one hit in the game as the trio combined for seven strikeouts.
Jones and Rogers collected two hits apiece, Julia Ramirez, Davis, Salazar, Vazquez, Morgan Fischer and Schroeder had one hit each.
Battle Mountain hosted league-leading Pershing County on Wednesday and results were not available at press time. The Lady Longhorns travel to Lovelock on Saturday to close out the series with a doubleheader at 11 a.m.
Pershing County is currently 12-0 in the Division III North and Yerington is second at 7-1. West Wendover currently holds the fourth and final playoff spot at 4-6.
