It was almost like old times. Athletes from Incline, Yerington, Battle Mountain and Silver Springs met at Pershing County High School on Friday and Saturday.
They competed for the Northern 2A Regional Softball Championship.
Across town, cleanup started on the debris left by last year’s arson fire.
The clouds were dark and filled to bursting. Spectators hunkered down in their vehicles to stay warm, honking when their team scored.
Beach umbrellas protected them from the rain.
To the delight of the home crowd, Pershing started the weekend with a win 17-7 against Incline.
However, on Saturday the Mustangs got knocked out of the race when they lost 13-0 to Yerington.
From there, it was all about Yerington, Battle Mountain and Silver Stage.
On Saturday, the Nighthawks beat Battle Mountain 1(2-2, knocking the Lady Longhorns out of the competition.
The championship round pitted Yerington against Stage. Yerington walked off with the win 14-7.
Coach Jordan McKinney looked back on the six-week season, her third as head coach.
“Truly, it’s only my second since Covid shut us down last year,” she said. “I’m super proud of my girls and how much they improved. Even though it was a short season, the amount of growth was unreal.”
The tournament marked the end of Senicka Happy’s high school athletics career.
She’s played basketball, volleyball and softball during her four years at PCHS.
Over the weekend, her family watched from the sidelines. This season she was the team’s only senior.
“Sen was the leader and glue of the team,” said McKinney. “We will miss her smile and positive attitude.”
“My freshmen started to grasp the concept of the game,” she continued. The first-year players included Madyson Grenz, Taylor Garland, Kaylah Hanley, Miya Gallagher, KayLee Poffenroth, Danya Zepeda, Yasmine McKinney and Anna Happy.
“My sophomores only had three weeks last year, so they were new too,” said McKinney. “Their growth and improvement get me excited for the next few years with them.” The sophomores include Marya Burke, Andrea Canchola and Lupita Lopez.
Bela Rosas, Aledda Sam and Kassandra Swindlehurst are juniors. “They are the seasoned veterans,” said McKinney. “Next year, when they are seniors, everyone better look out because they are going to be a real force.”
