SOFTBALL PLAY-IN: Rams find right combination, gain state berth

Five minutes after the scheduled start time of the most important game of their season, Rancho’s coaches were still scrambling to put together a lineup.

Injuries forced the Rams to go with a patchwork starting unit, and a late bus forced the Rams to hurry their preparation for their state tournament play-in game against Centennial.

After wearing out a notepad, the Rams’ brain trust finally settled on a lineup — and picked the right combination.

Buoyed by a gutsy pitching performance by Samantha Pochop, Rancho edged the Bulldogs, 4-3 in the play-in game at Gorman. The Rams (27-9) will make their first state tournament appearance in more than two decades when they face Sunset Region champion Palo Verde (31-8) at 5 p.m. Thursday at UNLV.

“It was just a combination of players and coaches communicating, and just trying to put the best offense and defense we could out there, and letting the girls shine through with their talent,” Rancho coach Amanda Zunno said.

The Rams have been without junior infielder Tiare Lee, who is done for the year with a broken fibula. On Saturday, they lost shortstop Gianna Carosone to a concussion.

It wasn’t exactly the lineup Zunno had hoped to have, but it worked.

“These girls are fighters,” Zunno said. “We’re a special bunch.”

Pochop belted a two-run homer in the first inning, then went to work in the circle.

The sophomore struck out 10 while allowing seven hits and four walks. She threw 100 of her 155 pitches for strikes.

“She wanted this, especially coming off two losses (Saturday to Foothill),” Zunno said. “She wanted to be there for the team and give them a chance.”

Still, the Rams needed a little late-game magic after surrendering a 3-2 lead on a misplayed ground ball in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kayla Coles looped a ball into short left field with one out in the seventh. Centennial left fielder Kara Simpson dived head-first for the ball, but came up just short, and Coles alertly turned it into a double.

Jahnae Davis-Houston followed with a double just inside the right-field line to give Rancho a 4-3 lead.

“All playoffs, she has been seeing the ball really well,” Zunno said. “She has produced at the right time. We had a lot of confidence in her, putting her in the No. 3 slot, and she came up big.”

Centennial (25-15) got the tying run on base with one out in the seventh, but Pochop got a pair of fly outs to end the threat.

Kelsi Lupton, who had only 15 at bats in the regular season, was 2-for-3 for Rancho. Davis-Houston was 2-for-3, and Coles went 2-for-4 with two runs.

Brianna Benoit was 2-for-3, and Makenzie Ball went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Centennial.

“It means the world to me, especially being a Rancho alum,” Zunno said. “Having the opportunity to come back and coach for them is a dream job for me. The goal was to get to state, and now we’re here.”