Durango softball rolls to victory vs. Bonanza

Scoring runs hasn’t been a problem for Durango’s softball team.

Preventing them, though, isn’t always the Trailblazers’ strong suit.

Senior pitcher Taylor Short turned Durango’s Achilles’ heel into a major strength Monday, spinning a six-hitter and striking out eight as the Trailblazers took over sole possession of first place in the Southwest League with a 13-1 six-inning romp at Bonanza.

“Our bats have been great,” Durango coach Toni Del Toro said. “But we have had trouble keeping other teams from scoring. Taylor did a great job today.”

Spotted a 4-0 lead before she stepped into the circle, Short pitched efficiently and effectively, striking out five of Bonanza’s first nine batters and allowing the Trailblazers (10-7, 6-0 Southwest) to stretch their lead to 9-0 before Bonanza (11-7-1, 5-1) finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth.

Short, who has shared time in the circle with Nicole Herrera, threw just 73 pitches in six innings. The Trailblazers have tossed five shutouts, but have also allowed six or more runs in a game nine times.

“Taylor has definitely stepped it up this year,” Del Toro said. “She’s done nothing but work hard for us. I had planned on having Nicole pitch today, too, but Taylor was just going strong.”

Durango’s offense took care of the rest, scoring in every inning except the third.

Samantha Juarez blasted her ninth home run of the year, a three-run shot, in the first inning, and Short added a two-run homer in the fourth.

Juarez, Mindy Larson and Marley Sandoval each had three hits for Durango, which scored 10 or more runs for the seventh time this season, including five times in its six league games.

“We’ve had a lot of kids step up for us this year,” Del Toro said. “We’ve gotten a lot of people to contribute.”

Nicolette Lind was 3-for-3 with a double and scored the lone run for the Bengals.