2A STATE: Five-run innings power White Pine through losers’ bracket into final

White Pine and Lincoln County showed off their offenses Friday, but the outcome was the same as the day before.

A day after grinding out a 4-0 victory over the Lynx, the Bobcats outslugged them with two five-run innings for a 12-6 victory in the Class 2A state softball tournament semifinals at The Meadows.

Coming through the losers’ bracket, White Pine (21-14) will face Yerington (23-6) in the title game at 10 a.m. today. The Bobcats would need to beat the Lions twice to win the championship.

“We knew coming in it wasn’t going to be easy. I mean heck, it was a 4-0 game last time,” White Pine coach Krystal Smith said. “We talk every day that any team can win on any day.”

Sophomore ace Bailey Moore, who pitched a five-hitter in Thursday’s matchup, returned to the mound after playing seven innings at shortstop in an 11-0 loss to Yerington earlier Friday.

Moore wasn’t as sharp as on Thursday, throwing 123 pitches over six innings and allowing six runs on 10 hits. Harley Windous retired the side in the seventh on a strikeout and two groundouts.

Trailing 7-2, Lincoln County (24-8-1) scored four runs in the sixth, keyed by a three-run double by Kourtney Gloeckner. She scored on Tayler Reifsnyder’s single to cut White Pine’s lead to 7-6.

The Bobcats quickly restored their big lead in the seventh. Alex Hall ripped a bases-loaded liner off the left shin of Lynx pitcher K.C. Jensen. The ball caromed into right field to score two runs.

Senior captain Kathy Murdock, who doubled and scored in White Pine’s five-run fifth, hit Jensen’s next pitch for a two-run single to left. Moore followed with a double to bring home Murdock, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles.

Gloeckner was 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Lincoln County, which got two hits each from Elle Scott and Reifsnyder.

Yerington 11, White Pine 0 — Tasheena Jim’s two-run homer in the sixth invoked the 10-run rule as the Lions blew out the Bobcats. Jim finished with three RBIs, and Katie Nicholas had eight strikeouts.

Lincoln County 1, Needles 0 — Chanell Adamson’s two-out single in the seventh scored courtesy runner Chelsea Lloyd as the Lynx nipped the Mustangs in an elimination game.

Winning pitcher K.C. Jensen led off with a walk and Elle Scott blooped a single to advance Lloyd.
Jensen pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and three walks for the Lynx. Megan Mann doubled for Needles.