SPRING JAMBOREE: O’Hearn’s walk-off double boosts young Durango

Durango softball coach Toni Del Toro hoped to get her young team some valuable game experience in this weekend’s Spring Jamboree tournament.

The Trailblazers and their coach got a couple of nice bonuses Friday: confidence and a win over a quality team.

Durango rallied from a 4-2 sixth-inning deficit to defeat Brawley (Calif.) 5-4 on Kaitlyn O’Hearn’s walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning of a Silver Bracket consolation game at Majestic Park.

“We’re such a young team,” said Del Toro, who has only three seniors but five freshmen on her roster. “I just want to get more players some time and get more experience in game situations so they can start to learn and develop. This is a great opportunity for us to see what comes out of this.

“The more that we do and learn and put ourselves in situations like this, the more confidence we get.”

O’Hearn’s double came after Durango put the No. 8 and 9 hitters on to start the bottom of the seventh.

Freshman Alexis Geraldo led off the inning with a sharp single to center, and classmate Keely Thompson beat out a bunt for a single.

O’Hearn then smacked the next pitch into the gap in left-center. Geraldo hesitated, thinking the ball might be caught, but raced around third and easily beat the relay throw to the plate.

“A lot of our newer players are at the bottom of our lineup, and it’s good to see them produce,” Del Toro said. “It takes the pressure off some of our top of the lineup people.”

Geraldo’s two-run homer in the second inning gave the Trailblazers an early lead, but Brawley (9-7) battled back with a run in the fourth inning and three in the sixth to take the lead. The Wildcats stranded a runner at third each time.

Durango (9-8) struck back in the bottom of the sixth.

Stephanie Huff’s one-out single put runners at first and second for Brooke Behnen, who singled solidly to center. Mallory Lawson scored, and both runners took an extra base when the throw home sailed to the backstop.

Mykayla Cutone’s grounder to the right side scored Huff to tie the game.

“They really feed off each other,” Del Toro said. “They work hard, and they really put their hearts into it.”

Trinity Valentine, also a freshman, tossed a seven-hitter and struck out three for Durango, which rebounded from an 11-3 loss to Southwest (Calif.) in the Silver quarterfinals.

Southwest (Calif.) 11, Durango 3 — Celeste Bernal was 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs, and the Eagles exploded for nine first-inning runs in a six-inning win over the Trailblazers in a Silver quarterfinal.

O’Hearn was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, and Behnen went 2-for-3 for Durango.

Palo Verde 3, El Camino Real (Calif.) 2 — Jordan Menke’s fly ball to left field with no outs in the top of the eighth inning plated Lauren Oxford with the winning run as the Panthers nipped the Conquisatdors in the opening round of the Gold Bracket.

El Camino Real’s Brittney Hyman tripled and scored in the bottom of the seventh to force the extra inning, which was played under international tiebreaker rules.

Oxford moved to third on a bunt single and scored when Menke’s fly ball was misjudged by the left fielder.

Menke, Grace Chavez and Kali Tomlinson each went 2-for-3 for Palo Verde.

Kelsea Sweeney tossed a four-hitter for the Panthers.

Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) 8, Palo Verde 0 — The Dons belted a pair of home runs and blanked the Panthers in a Gold semifinal.

Port of Los Angeles (Calif.) 4, Centennial 2 — Winning pitcher Nicolle Miranda’s two-run single sparked a four-run first inning that led the Polar Bears by the Bulldogs in the opening round of the Gold Bracket.

Miranda carried a shutout into the seventh before Sonja Lawrence hit a two-run home run for Centennial. Jaden Tate was 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs.

Centennial 7, Fernley 5 — Ava Dolan was 2-for-2 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the Bulldogs over the Vaqueros in a consolation game.

Stephanie Day went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Centennial.

Mercedes Rothwell and Courtney Dunn each went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Fernley.

Bingham (Utah) 3, Coronado 2 — The Miners scored three unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning to nip the Cougars in a first-round Gold Bracket game.

Marissa Kopp was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Tatum Spangler went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Coronado.

Jillian James tossed a four-hitter and struck out 10 for Coronado.

El Camino Real (Calif.) 5, Coronado 4 — The Conquistadors erased a 4-2 deficit with three runs in the sixth inning and edged the Cougars in a consolation game.

Sarah Pinkston was 2-for-3 with a double, and Basia Query went 2-for-4 for Coronado.

Chaminade (Calif.) 4, Cimarron-Memorial 1 — Cierra Davis was 2-for-4 with a RBI in the Spartans’ loss to the Eagles.

Carmen Hasbrouck had a double for Cimarron.

Winning pitcher Spencer Estrada had three RBIs for Chaminade, which led 3-0 after four innings.

McQueen 8, Cimarron-Memorial 2 — Davis and Rheanna Esparza each had two hits as the Spartans fell to the Lancers.

Davis also had an RBI, and Paige Ostlie added a double for Cimarron, which trailed 6-0 after three innings.

Jessie Blanton had a double and two RBIs for McQueen. Sadaria McAlister added three RBIs for the Lancers, who also got doubles from Bayley Miller and Hailey Hoagland.

Green Valley 10, Central Union (Calif.) 4 — Italia Reinoehl went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs as the Gators rallied by the Spartans.

Jinger Meuir was 4-for-4 with a double and two runs, and Sophia Marrs went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Gators, who trailed 3-0 after the first inning.

Alexa Blazek also had two hits and an RBI for Green Valley, which had 18 hits.

Banning (Calif.) 7, Boulder City 1 — Charlene Masterson was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the Eagles’ loss to the Pilots.

Masterson also pitched a complete game, striking out nine for Boulder City, which managed just three hits.

Elyzza Guajaca had a two-run home run for Banning, and teammate Summer Bodkin added a triple. Leah Gonzales struck out 10 for the Pilots.

Central Union (Calif.) 7, Boulder City 3 — The Spartans topped the Eagles in a consolation game.

Lehi (Utah) 8, Lincoln County 0 — The Pioneers scored all of their runs in the top of the first inning and blanked the Lynx in a Bronze Bracket quarterfinal.

Cheyenne 8, Basic 1 — Kaitlyn Dutton tossed a four-hitter, and the Desert Shields scored seven runs in the sixth inning to top the Wolves in the first round of the Bronze Bracket.

Arleth Estrada was 2-for-3 with a double, and Taylor Cole and Sabrina Stafford each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Cheyenne, which got a two-run home run from Alexis Gojkovich.

Alyssa Ferguson was 2-for-4 for Basic.

Harbor Teacher Prep (Calif.) 6, Cheyenne 3 — Gabrielle Fua was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Monarchs by the Desert Shields in a Bronze quarterfinal.

Stafford went 2-for-3 for Cheyenne.

Lincoln County 10, Cheyenne 5 — Sadie Butler had two doubles, and winning pitcher Josie Burgess homered to lead the Lynx by the Desert Shields in a consolation game.

Basic 14, Mingus (Ariz.) 3 — Winning pitcher Lexi Edmunds went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs to lead the Wolves by the Marauders in five innings.

Edmunds struck out four and gave up no walks for Basic.

Adriana Cruz finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Teuila Sheehan had a double for the Wolves.