Cram helps Diamondbacks secure playoff berth

Lenzi Cram could have felt frustrated after being pulled from the pitching circle in the first inning Thursday.

Instead, the junior kept her focus after going to first base and eventually delivered a clutch hit that helped Desert Oasis’ softball team clinch a playoff spot.

Cram’s double to left-center field with one out in the top of the seventh inning scored Dayana Gage to break a 5-5 tie, and the Diamondbacks went on to an 8-5 Southwest League win at Clark.

“You talk about a kid who started the game in the circle and could have been down and out the whole game,” Desert Oasis coach Jerome Streets said of Cram. “But what does she do in the seventh inning? She came through for her teammates. She came through in the end to give us the lead.”

The Diamondbacks (13-15, 10-2 Southwest) moved ahead of the Chargers (14-13, 9-3) for second place in the league with four games left. The top two seeds will host first-round Sunset Region playoff games.

Cram was pulled after she walked the bases loaded in the first inning, and Desert Oasis fell behind 3-0 when Clark’s Kaitlyn Szeles cleared the bases with a double to center.

The Chargers took a 4-0 lead in the second when Anna Jaehn singled home Shannon Chapman.
But the Diamondbacks began chipping away, eventually taking a 5-4 lead in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Sammantha Caruso.

Clark tied the game 5-5 on Chapman’s RBI single in the sixth before Desert Oasis took control in the seventh.

After Cram’s RBI double, courtesy runner Audrey Blockovich scored on a double by Briona Santovito and Santovito came home on an error to give the Diamondbacks an 8-5 lead.

The Chargers had the potential tying run on deck with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Desert Oasis pitcher C.J. Wilson got a popout from Sydney Staresinich and struck out Alicia Valdovinos to end the game.

Wilson gave up five runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of relief to earn the win.

“I have two really special pitchers,” Streets said. “When one of them doesn’t have it going their way, the other one steps in and does the job. (Wilson) took care of business in the circle for us.”

Santovito went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who host first-place Durango (17-9, 10-1) at 3:30 p.m. Friday.