Pershing County junior Taylor Garland pitched a no-hitter last Saturday at PCHS.
Photo by Tony Erquiaga.
The Pershing County softball team hit another milestone last weekend. They are the Northern 2A regular season conference champs.
On Tuesday, April 25, the Mustangs beat Battle Mountain 12-8 on the road.
This past Saturday, they hosted the Longhorns to finish the series and claimed the championship with wins of 5-0 and 18-8.
"On Tuesday the girls went into the game with confidence and wanted the win," said coach Jordan McKinney. "Yasmine (McKinney) hit a home run in the first inning to start the momentum. Taylor (Garland) had 12 strikeouts and Aaliyah (Allen) had only one passed ball."
Pershing County scored a single run in the first inning and two more in the second to grab a 3-0 lead on the road.
Battle Mountain got two of those runs back in the bottom of the second inning but the Mustangs started to pull away with two runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth to go in front 9-2.
Battle Mountain answered back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning to trim the deficit to 9-6, but that was as close as the Lady Longhorns got.
Battle Mountain's Kiana Gonzales throws out a Pershing County runner at first base during a game in Battle Mountain on April 25.
Pershing County added two runs in the fifth inning and one more in the sixth to build a 12-6 lead before holding on for the 12-8 win.
Shea Jones had a pair of hits for Battle Mountain, including a home run. Emile Johnson also had two hits. Lilliana Haney, Jazmin Johnson, Alissa Heinz and Ella Moore each had one hit.
Jones suffered the loss in the circle, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits. She struck out three.
The battle between the two top-ranked teams continued in Lovelock on Saturday. The games were well-attended by fans from both sides with temps in the high 60s. Cars parked past the elementary school almost to the grocery store.
A no-hitter takes strong pitching, a solid defense and a bit of luck.
The Pershing County softball team had all three when Taylor Garland pitched a no-hitter in Saturday's opener.
Garland also had 15 strikeouts. It was Pershing County first no-hitter since 2015, when Dominic Barter pitched one in a home baseball game against West Wendover.
Senior Kaylen Halverson went 3-for-3 at the plate, with two RBI and two runs. She hit her first home run of the season with an opposite field shot over the right field fence. Her timing and eye-hand-coordination proved too much for the Battle Mountain fielders.
Kaylen Halverson scored the first home run of her high school years
Raegan Burrows had nine strikeouts in the closing game of the series.
"It's her first-year pitching so she's really impressing me with her improvement," coach McKinney said.
Jones took the loss in the circle for the Lady Longhorns, allowing five runs on four hits. The senior struck out six and walked one.
In the series finale, Battle Mountain used a five-run third inning and a single run in the fourth to lead 6-2.
The advantage went away in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Pershing County plated seven runs to lead 9-6.
The Lady Longhorns closed the gap to 9-8 in the top of the sixth inning, only to see the Mustangs close out the game with nine runs in the fifth inning.
Battle Mountain's Shea Jones throws a pitch during a game on April 25 in Battle Mountain against Pershing County
Johnson finished with a pair of hits for Battle Mountain and Addison Matheus and Kiana Gonzales each had one hit.
Jennifer West and Aspen Swanger split time in the circle for the Lady Longhorns.
With the wins, Pershing County is 17-0 and first in the 2A.
Battle Mountain (12-3), West Wendover (9-6) and Yerington (7-6) fill out the top four.
Pershing County played its last home game of the season on Wednesday, against North Tahoe. Results were not available at press time.
Traditionally, Pershing County uses the occasion to honor its senior players.
This year's seniors are Halverson, Benni Pompignoli, Marya Burke, and Nova Karlsson.
Battle Mountain concludes the regular season at home against West Wendover with a single game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Northern 2A Regional Championship is in Lovelock over Mother's Day weekend, May 12-13. The NIAA 2A Sate Championships will be held May 18-20 at Hixson Park on the campus of the University of Nevada.
Great Basin Sun assistant editor/sports editor Tony Erquiaga contributed to this story.