WNC Softball: Wildcats Show Fight in Doubleheader Split with Coyotes

Giving up a three-run edge in the final inning could emotionally deflate a team. College of Southern Nevada's comeback only served as more motivation for the Western Nevada Wildcats on Saturday.
Makaylee Jaussi's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the last of the seventh inning lifted the Wildcats to a 5-4 Scenic West Athletic Conference softball victory at Edmonds Sports Complex in the Carson City.

The victory clinched the Wildcats' first home winning season in program history. However, the Coyotes tallied eight fourth-inning runs and held off a furious WNC rally for a 14-9 triumph in the second game of the doubleheader.

"They were fighting pretty hard, and I thought they played really well overall all weekend," said WNC coach Leah Wentworth, whose club finished with a 10-9 home record. "When they had that big inning, they answered back right away and took some of that momentum back."

Freshman Kristina George, who held the Coyotes hitless in five separate innings, battled through a seventh-inning rally by the Coyotes. The Coyotes sprayed five hits, four into the outfield, to rally to tie the score at 4. Back-to-back two-out base hits by Maggie Manwarren and Mia Acuna prolonged the game. George, however, denied the Coyotes the lead by getting Sarina Creswell on a groundout for the final out of the inning.

The Wildcats took advantage of an infield pop being lost in the sun to strike back in their half of the seventh. Kacie Freudenberger hustled all the way to second base on the miscue to lead off the inning. WNC followed with a walk to Briauna Carter and a bunt single by Kelsey Callahan to fill the bases with no one out. Following a force out at the plate, Jaussi became determined to put the ball between the chalked lines after falling behind in the count 0-2 to Megan Mello.

"I had a lot of anxiety going on, but my team was confident in me so that helped me out. I just need to put it in play," Jaussi said.

Although Jaussi's fly ball was to short center field, Carter got a good jump from third base after tagging up and handily beat the throw to the plate to score the winning run.
"We always have heart. When we get down, we don't really get down on ourselves," said WNC sophomore second baseman Katilyn Covione. "We always know that we can come back because we have some really good bats in our lineup."

George retired the first nine Coyotes, but ran into trouble in the fourth. The first four Coyotes hit the ball into the outfield, but an assist by left fielder Melanie Mecham diffused a potential big inning. Mecham threw out CSN's fleetest base runner, Manwarren, at third base after trying to make a sprawling catch near the left-field line.
"I tried to dive and catch it, but I kept it in front of me and picked it up and threw it, and luckily we got her," Mecham said.

Vanessa Sanders lifted a fly ball to center to knot the score at 1, but the tie didn't last long.
In the bottom of the fourth, Mecham singled to left with one out, took second on Lauren Lesniak's groundout and went to third on an errant pickoff throw. Pamela Sakuma, who delivered a big hit in a 3-2 victory Friday, came through again in the clutch, knocking a go-ahead single to right field.

Carter put WNC on the scoreboard first in the third inning with her second home run in as many days. After seeing a couple of off-speed pitches from Mello, Carter lined an outside pitch over the right-field fence for a 1-0 WNC lead.

Besides her assist, Mecham slid on her backside to catch a ball off the bat of Sydney Cluff near the fence in foul territory.

"Some of the plays that Mel and Pamela are making are game-changing plays," Wentworth said. "Salt Lake has some speedy outfielders, and so does CSI, but I feel like this outfield is right there matched up with them. It took us a little while to settle in and figure out where everyone fit in the outfield. Right now, they are really strong and they are showing that they are really comfortable out there."

Mecham also contributed to a two-run sixth-inning rally that widened WNC's lead to 4-1. With Bailey Henderson on first after reaching on a fielder's choice, Mecham hit a hard single to center that took a bad hop past Manwarren. Henderson scored all the way from first base and Mecham went to third when the relay toss was thrown away. The Wildcats pounced on the mistake as the next hitter, Lesniak, hit a sacrifice fly to center.

"Especially when we have teammates on base, my goal is to try to hit them in and move them around," Mecham said.

Sakuma took away an extra-base hit from Sykes to start the seventh, ranging to her right to make the grab. She also made another catch in deep center, plays that were instrumental in preventing the Coyotes from taking the lead.

Mecham delivered two hits, scored two runs and knocked in a run. George gave up eight hits and four earned runs in earning her 13th win. She fanned three and issued one walk.

Like they did on Friday, the Coyotes got the jump on the Wildcats in the second half of the twin bill. Sarina Creswell and Dacia Sykes slammed two-run homers off Nicole Lesniak to establish a 4-0 first-inning edge.
WNC responded with two runs in its half of the first. A double by Jaussi and base hits by Sakuma and Freudenberger cut CSN's lead to 4-2.

But the Coyotes temporarily blew open the second game in a fourth frame that started with a pop fly lost in the sun and consecutive bunt singles. A two-run single by Amber Raab and RBI base hits by Sanders and Chelsea Perez fueled the rally.

WNC answered in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six runs after the Coyotes recorded two outs. A two-run single by Henderson and RBI base knocks by Lauren Lesniak, Sakuma and Freudenberger aided the Wildcats as they crept within 12-8.

Henderson's sacrifice fly in the fifth made the score 12-9, but CSN got the run back in the sixth and scored the game's final run on a Kristina Nelson homer in the seventh.

The Wildcats were outhit 20-17. Freudenberger was 3 for 4 with two RBI, Sakuma was 3 for 4 with a run scored and run batted in, Covione was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, Henderson was 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run and Jaussi was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

WNC coaches and players honored the program's four sophomores between games. Playing their final home for the Wildcats were Covione, the Lesniak twins and Sakuma.

"It's been a great experience," said Covione, who was only sophomore who played on last year's team. "At the beginning, it was a little weird. It was kind of like your freshman year all over again. But overall it has been a really great experience getting to know everybody and coming together as a team."

The Wildcats, which finished the regular season with a 16-23 SWAC record and 21-28 mark, open Region 18 Tournament play against Snow on Thursday at Salt Lake Community College.

"This was a good weekend to get us prepared, playing a team that we match up well with and knowing that we were going to play some competitive games," Wentworth said. "I think we saw a lot of things this weekend that we will see in regionals."