Coyle cleans up for Gaels

Rain and a chilly, gusting wind did little to cool off Megan Coyle’s bat Wednesday.

It also had no effect on Bishop Gorman’s defense.

Coyle, batting fourth in the lineup, went 4-for-5 with a double and five RBIs, and on a day when every fly ball was an adventure, Gorman’s defense was spotless en route to a 12-0 softball win at Legacy.

“Coyle has come up clutch all year,” Gaels coach Kevin Smith said. “She’s usually a No. 8 or 9 hitter, but early in the year the middle of our lineup really wasn’t producing, so I threw her in there. She’s been there ever since. That’s her spot now.

“That’s what she’s done all year. That’s what you want from your No. 4 hitter.”

Coyle began the day with a two-out RBI single to left-center in the top of the first inning.

Her two-out RBI single to center in the third gave the Gaels (13-2, 2-0 Southwest League) a 3-0 lead, and she tacked on another RBI single during a five-run fourth inning.

Coyle laced a two-run double down the line in right in the seventh to cap the effort.

It was more than enough support for Gorman pitcher Dayton Yingling.

Yingling allowed just three hits, two of them two-out infield singles, and walked two. She struck out three, and at one point retired 13 straight batters.

“It’s kind of what we’ve done all year,” Smith said. “Pitchers are pitching to contact, and our defense is coming through, making good plays.”

Yingling got nine ground-ball outs and nine outs in the air. The wind gusted from the left-field line to the right-field line throughout the game, playing havoc with anything in the air, and a light drizzle started in the bottom of the first and lasted until the fourth.

“I said good job to the outfielders because they made all those fly balls look really simple, even with the wind swirling out there,” Smith said. “I was happy with our defense. Pop-ups in the wind are always hard to deal with.”

Yingling got into a little trouble in the first, as Legacy (10-5, 0-2) got a one-out hit and a walk, but consecutive fly outs ended the jam. The Longhorns didn’t get a runner to third base in the game.

Sierra Dias was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Ashley Witucki and Jasmine Gibson each went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Gorman. Bailey Zavala came off the bench to go 2-for-3 with an RBI.

“We still have some work to do,” Smith said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. Our goal every year is to just get farther than we did the year before.”

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.