JAMBOREE: Centennial’s Rauskin makes most of return in four-inning no-hitter

Before entering the circle Thursday, Centennial junior Kate Rauskin hadn’t pitched in a game since March 20.

Her return couldn’t have gone much better.

Rauskin, sidelined for two weeks because of tendinitis in her pitching arm, threw a four-inning no-hitter Thursday, helping the Bulldogs open the Spring Jamboree with a 15-0 softball win over Maranatha (Calif.) at Majestic Park.

“She just found her comfort zone,” said coach Mike Livreri. “It was great for her and great for the coaches to see. She really built up some confidence.”

Rauskin tried to play through the injury during her mid-March appearances, but didn’t have as much command of her pitches, leading to higher walk totals.

She walked only one hitter Thursday, throwing 62 pitches in the four innings. Only one other Minutemen batter reached base, on a Centennial error.

“She really struggled the last few times with some walks, but she did a much better job of letting her team make the plays for her,” Livreri said.

Meanwhile, the Bulldog offense offered Rauskin plenty of support. Heather Bowen led a 15-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Alyssa Finger was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, and Lauren Stroman went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBIs.

Mia Acuna, Taylor Huntly, Savannah Horvath and Madison Henzlik each added two hits for Centennial, which used a seven-run second inning to take an 11-0 lead.

Getting Rauskin back was key for the Bulldogs, who will play at least six games in the three-day tournament. Centennial generally alternates between Rauskin and Huntly in the circle.

Without Rauskin, Huntly has carried the pitching load.

“We’ve pretty much tried to rely on both pitchers equally,” Livreri said. “It makes our team stronger. “

Damonte Ranch 7, Centennial 2 — The Mustangs took advantage of Centennial errors to score five runs in the fourth inning of a five-inning game.

Bowen homered twice for the Bulldogs, who had just four hits.

Palo Verde 3, Fallbrook (Calif.) 2 — Rachel Williams threw a three-hitter and went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI to help the Panthers edge the Warriors.

Breanna Beatty had an RBI double for Palo Verde, which led 3-0 after the third inning.

Brittini Arena had a run-scoring double to lead Fallbrook.

El Camino Real (Calif.) 2, Palo Verde 1 — Karyn Wright spun a five-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk as the Conquistadores nipped the Panthers.

Brittany Kanovsky went 2-for-3, including an RBI single that scored Cassandra Perez with the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning.

Perez finished 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Rachel Turner was 2-for-3 with a double to lead Palo Verde, which got an RBI single from Beatty.

Cimarron-Memorial 3, Diamond Bar (Calif.) 3 — The Brahmas cashed in on two Spartan errors to score the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Alexa Snyder and Ashley Doherty each doubled for Cimarron, which led 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning.

Schurr (Calif.) 3, Cimarron-Memorial 0 — Jacklyn Zacarias pitched a five-hit shutout to lead Schurr past Cimarron in a game shortened to six innings by the tournament time limit.

Sarah Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double for Cimarron, and teammate Sarina Creswell was 2-for-3.

Cimarron’s Snyder pitched a four-hitter.

Rancho 0, Sylmar (Calif.) 0 — Brandy Marlett tossed a two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts, but the Rams had to settle for a seven-inning tie with the Spartans.

Rancho had just four singles.

Moorpark (Calif.) 14, Rancho 2 — The Musketeers never looked back after scoring eight first-inning runs and cruised past the Rams in four innings.

Ashton Orlan was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles for Rancho.

Kennedy (Calif.) 4, Pahrump Valley 2 — The Golden Cougars rallied from a 2-0 deficit with single runs in the third and fourth innings and two runs in the fifth.

Taylor Busby went 2-for-2, and Casey Sierra doubled and drove in a run for the Trojans.

Pleasant Grove (Utah) 12, Pahrump Valley 5 — Rylan Jardine pitched a complete game, scattering six hits, and smacked an RBI single to help the Vikings down the Trojans in four innings.

Sarah Hicken went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and two RBIs to lead Pleasant Grove, which got an RBI double from Britany Johnson, and two hits and a walk from Lexie Clark.

Jazmine Bowman was 2-for-2 with an RBI double to lead Pahrump.

Garfield (Calif.) 12, Cheyenne 3 — The Bulldogs used a six-run third inning on their way to a five-inning win over the Desert Shields.

Alyssa Fata went 2-for-2, and Vanessa Sanders belted a three-run home run for Cheyenne.

North (Calif.) 19, Cheyenne 0 — The Saxons posted a pair of eight-run innings and routed the Desert Shields in four innings.

Sanders’ two-out single in the fourth inning was Cheyenne’s only hit.

Torrance (Calif.) 10, Bonanza 0 — Christina Washington and Nicole Ayaly combined on a five-inning, no-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk as the Tartars blanked the Bengals.

Reina Trejo went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Mo Ramirez was 3-for-4, and Danielle DeCastro supplied two hits to lead Torrance.

San Fernando (Calif.) 16, Bonanza 0 — Breanna Cabrera spun a three-inning one-hitter, and went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Tigers to a win over the Bengals.

Laura Aguilar went 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs, and Stephanie Campos was 3-for-3 with a double for San Fernando.

Kayla Sylvester had Bonanza’s lone single.