The Battle Mountain High School softball team is off to a quick start after a second-place finish at the Pershing County Tournament in Lovelock last weekend.
The Lady Longhorns went 4-2 over the three days, which included two wins apiece over Carlin and Silver Stage.
BMHS cruises past Carlin
As part of the tournament, Battle Mountain hosted Carlin last Thursday and picked up a 7-1 win. Kylie Sondermann threw a complete-game three hitter. She struck out seven and walked none.
Battle Mountain jumped on the scoreboard with as single run in the first inning and added three more in the second. The Railroaders cut the deficit to 4-1 in the top of the fifth inning, but the Lady Longhorns answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth and were not threatened again.
Marissa Rogers had two hits and two runs scored for Battle Mountain. Jonni Davis, Megan Salazar and Sondermann each had one hit and scored a run.
Longhorns crush Nighthawks
In the opening round of the bracketed tournament in Lovelock, Battle Mountain crushed Silver Stage 20-7 on Friday morning. The Lady Longhorns scored 19 runs in the first two innings and never looked back. The Nighthawks actually led 1-0 in the first inning.
Battle Mountain pounded out 16 hits, including four from Sondermann. The senior added three runs scored and 2 RBIs. McKenna Jones added three hits, four RBI and three runs scored, and Alma Chavira, Kali Kester and Yulisa Vazquez had two hits apiece. Vazquez drove in five and scored three. Chavira had two RBIs and two runs scored. Drue Domagala, Isabella DeAllah and Liscet Diaz each had one hit.
Jones collected the win on the circle with two innings of work. Sondermann threw the final three innings in relief.
PCHS knocks off Battle Mountain
Battle Mountain suffered its first loss of the season later on Friday in the semifinals against Pershing County by a score of 12-2.
Battle Mountain jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage after the top of the first inning, but the Mustangs answered with two runs in the bottom of the first and another run the second.
Battle Mountain closed the gap to 3-2 after four innings, when Pershing County plated nine runs in the bottom of the fifth to win by the 10-run rule.
Sondermann (three) and Sruti Bhakta (two) accounted for five of Battle Mountain’s six hits. Morgan Fischer and Sondermann each scored a run.
Sondermann started and suffered the loss in 4.1 innings of work. She struck out two.
Longhorns shut out Nighthawks
The loss sent Battle Mountain into the losers bracket on Saturday, where the team breezed by Silver Stage for a second game in a row. The Lady Longhorns scored 11 runs in the first two innings en route to a 16-0 win.
Ten different players had a hit for the Lady Longhorns. Sondermann and Jones had two each. Scoti Dominguez, Jenna Leavitt, Megan Salazar, Davis, Bhakta, Vazquez, Diaz and Fischer each had one hit.
Sondermann threw a no-hitter in the victory, where she struck out six and walked one in five innings of work.
BMHS blanks Carlin
Battle Mountain reached the title game with an 11-0 win over Carlin. The Lady Longhorns used an eight-run fourth inning to put the game out of reach.
Vazquez was the offensive star with four hits and three runs scored. Davis added two hits and three RBIs. Vazquez also picked up win in the circle in a complete-game effort. She struck out six and walked four.
Longhorns fall to Mustangs
After playing two extra games than Pershing County, Battle Mountain ran out of gas in the championship as the Mustangs won 14-0. Pershing County scored five runs in the second inning and seven in the third.
Kester, Bhakta and Diaz had hits for the Lady Longhorns
Battle Mountain is back in action on Friday at Wells at noon.
