DIVISION I SOFTBALL: No quit in Palo Verde en route to title game

It easily could have been the most heartbreaking loss of her softball career.

But less than 30 minutes after her team suffered a 2-1, nine-inning setback to Reed in the Division I state softball tournament, Palo Verde senior pitcher Kelsea Sweeney brushed it off and went back to work.

And led her team into the championship game of the double-elimination tournament.

Sweeney threw 15 2/3 innings in the span of 4½ hours Friday and helped the Panthers rebound from the loss in the first game to top Foothill 3-1 in the losers’ bracket final at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium.

Palo Verde (33-9) will meet Reed (36-2) in the final at noon today at UNLV. The Panthers must beat the Raiders twice to successfully defend the state title they won last year in Reno.

“We went out there with a really positive attitude,” said Sweeney. “My team was working their butt off, and I knew they had my back. I just wanted to go out there and throw my best stuff.”

Despite throwing 146 pitches in the loss to Reed, Sweeney was fabulous early against Foothill, allowing an infield single to start the game before retiring the next 14 hitters in order, six on strikeouts.

It gave the Panthers time to build a 3-0 lead.

“I still had a good momentum coming off the first game, and I knew we were going to work really hard,” Sweeney said. “We didn’t want to lose again.”

Sweeney settled for a two-hitter and struck out eight. She faced just three batters more than the minimum and allowed only an unearned run.

Freshman Makall Whetten’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning and an RBI single by Mackenzie McBride and a run-scoring ground out by Cara Beatty in the third provided enough offense for the Panthers, who struggled offensively in the winners’ bracket final against the Raiders.

Reed pitcher Julia Jensen allowed just three hits and struck out 14 Palo Verde hitters. The Raiders, who had 11 hits, finally ended the game on Jensen’s single that Whetten dived for in center field but couldn’t corral.

Kenzi Goins, who started the ninth-inning rally by reaching on an error, scored from second on the play to send the Raiders (36-2) to their second straight title game. Reed lost to Palo Verde in a winner-take-all final last year.

Goins moved to second on Mariah Adame’s one-out bunt, and after Palo Verde pitched around Rheanna Smith, Jensen hit the first pitch into center field to secure the win.

Jensen, though, was at her best in the circle, where she threw 99 of 147 pitches for strikes. She entered with a 32-2 record, a 0.75 ERA and 326 strikeouts in 197 innings.

Jensen didn’t allow a hit until Jordan Menke’s double over the head of Reed’s left fielder with two outs in the fifth. The double knocked in Lauren Oxford with the Panthers’ only run.

Palo Verde put two runners on in both the seventh and eighth innings, but Jensen got a strikeout to end the threat in the seventh and a double play on a soft liner to shortstop to get out of the eighth.

Reed, had plenty of chances to score, but stranded 13 runners, including nine in the final five innings as Sweeney did a marvelous job of pitching out of jams.

Reed collected a two-out RBI single by Smith in the third, but left runners at third in the fifth, sixth and seventh.

The Raiders were in position to put the game away in the sixth after Jensen led off with a double, and Allie Hughes followed with a single and took second on the throw.

But Sweeney got a pop out and two strikeouts to leave both runners in scoring position.

Sweeney struck out 10 and walked two — both times pitching around Smith.

“I think we can come back tomorrow,” Sweeney said.

Foothill, which eliminated Rancho early in the day Friday, finished 24-17.

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