WNC Softball: Wildcats Upset Nationally Ranked Pima in Season Opener
Submitted by editor on Fri, 01/29/2016 - 9:24pm
Western Nevada College entered the 2016 softball season with great expectations, and the Wildcats supported those high aspirations with a 5-4 upset of nationally ranked Pima Community College on Friday morning at the College of Southern Nevada Kickoff Classic in Henderson.
With a roster boasting 16 sophomores, the Wildcats knocked off Pima, ranked No. 9 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II preseason poll, in their season-opener.
"We're so excited," said WNC coach Leah Wentworth. "We still have room to grow, but it was nice to get the 'W' and know that we can play better."
Dakota Robinson blasted a three-run homer to give WNC the lead for good, 3-2, in the second inning.
Sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Jimmy took a no-hitter into the fourth inning and earned the win. WNC of Carson City played twice more on Friday, losing to Arizona Western 12-1 and overpowering Scottsdale Community College 18-10.
Against Pima, Margarita Corona tripled and scored on an infield error in the fourth inning, cutting WNC's lead to 4-3. It was the first hit off Jimmy.
Melanie Mecham and Noa Talia started a Wildcat rally in the fifth, hitting back-to-back singles with one out. An infield error on Gabrielle Canibeyaz's grounder allowed Mecham to score, re-establishing the Wildcats' two-run edge. Kelsie Callahan also reached on error, loading the bases. The Aztecs avoided further damage by turning a lineout into an inning-ending double play.
In the sixth, Pima trimmed WNC's lead to 5-4 with three two-out hits, but a groundout stranded Gabriela Trejo on third base. The Wildcats also denied a third-base runner from scoring in the seventh, using a well-timed double play to end the game.
Jimmy worked six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run.
"Kaitlyn looked awesome in the first game," Wentworth said. "She had a nice mix and her changeup was on."
Robinson and Talia combined for four of the Wildcats' 11 hits.
Like it did in its opener, WNC fell behind Arizona Western. Monique Smith stroked a full-count pitch from Kristina George for a run-scoring double to break a scoreless tie in the second inning.
WNC missed a chance to knot the score in the third. Robinson led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on Triniece Lesky's bunt. However, Robinson was thrown out at the plate on Samantha Bell's fly ball to third baseman Mariah Young.
George gave up a single and double to open the fourth inning but prevented the Matadors from extending their lead. After two fly outs and a walk, George used a popup to shortstop Makaylee Jaussi to get out of the inning.
Young's two-run double in the fifth put Arizona Western ahead, 3-0.
The three-run deficit woke up the Wildcats' offense. A walk to Britni Greninger and singles by Canibeyaz and Robinson filled the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Chelsea Latu scored Greninger to put WNC on the board, but pitcher Joy Veloz retired the next two Wildcat hitters to keep the score at 3-1.
The Matadors broke it open by scoring five times in the sixth and four more runs in the seventh.
Mecham and Robinson carried the Wildcat offense with two hits apiece.
In their finale on Friday, the Wildcats took out their frustration from their first defeat on the Fighting Artichokes of Scottsdale Community College.
The Wildcats sent 11 hitters to the plate in the first frame, scoring seven runs en route to an eight-run victory.
"The things that took them out of the Arizona Western game were within their control, and they couldn't wait to get back out there and move forward," Wentworth said. "It was good to see them answer back the next game and put it all together again."
Mecham lined a three-run homer and Robinson slugged a run-scoring double to power the first-inning uprising. Callahan and Lesky contributed sacrifice flies in the seven-run rally.
"On Melanie's homer the hit and run was on, and she turned on the ball and jacked it," Wentworth said.
Robinson continued her sizzling day at the plate in the second inning. Her two-run single put WNC in front, 9-0. After Scottsdale pulled to within 10-4, the Wildcats added a run in the fourth. Following a base hit by Talia and a double from Canibeyaz, Robinson plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
Mecham highlighted a four-run rally in the fifth with a two-run triple. She finished the game with two hits and six RBI. Jaussi and Canibeyaz each collected three hits, and Jaussi scored three runs.
For the three games, Robinson was 6 for 9 with seven RBI and two runs scored.
"Dakota's a sleeper down at bottom of the lineup; she's been really consistent and has a ton of power," Wentworth said. "Fundamentally, she's our best hitter in practice. The biggest thing with Dakota that I noticed from last year was that she had a hard time turning it over into games. Obviously, she's been able to make some adjustments."
Mecham was 5 for 9 with four runs scored and six RBI.
"I'm excited to see that she's able to come back and continue to do what she did the year before," Wentworth said. "She's always been a tough out and does a good job seeing a lot of pitches."
A matchup with second-ranked Eastern Arizona highlights WNC's second day of tournament action on Saturday. The Wildcats also play Yavapai and Central Arizona. Follow the action on GameChanger.
