Bats start quickly in Palo Verde rout

RENO — Palo Verde’s softball team is turning UNR’s Hixson Park into its own playground.

A day after scoring 10 first-inning runs in a Division I state tournament opening-round rout of Reed, the Panthers flexed their muscles early again Friday.

Breanna Beatty’s two-out RBI double jump-started a five-run first inning and led Palo Verde to a 10-0, six-inning win over Foothill in the winners’ bracket final.

The Panthers (32-6) will face Reed (33-6) for the state title at noon today.

“I definitely didn’t expect it, but I knew something was going to happen,” Palo Verde coach Kelly Glass said of her team’s explosive starts. “I knew we were going to bring a lot of energy, and we were going to produce. I’m just happy we’re producing what we are.”

Beatty’s double to left-center started a run of five consecutive hits as the Panthers batted around to take a 5-0 lead.

“We’re going up feeling we can do anything that we want with the pitches that we’re getting,” Beatty said. “It’s been a process, honestly. We wanted to make sure we were peaking at this point in the season, and that’s what is happening.”

The Panthers pounded 17 hits and scored in every inning except the third.

Kiley Harrison was 4-for-4 with three runs. Beatty and Rachel Williams each went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Brooke Stover was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Palo Verde.

It was plenty for Palo Verde pitchers Kelsea Sweeney and Williams, who combined on a two-hitter.

Sweeney, who appeared to be nursing a back injury, allowed one hit and two walks in two innings. Williams retired 11 straight hitters in one stretch and gave up one hit and one walk in four innings.

Kaitlyn Enzweiler’s bad-hop single in the second and Jordan Corn’s sixth-inning double were Foothill’s only hits.

In six region and state tournament games, the Panthers have allowed a total of seven runs.

“They just literally figured everything out,” Glass said of her pitchers. “They are nice and relaxed. They trust their defense. That gives them a little more confidence to make the ball move, make it dance.”

Reed would have to beat the Panthers twice today to claim the state title. Palo Verde needs only one win to claim its second title and first since 2011.

“Our motto for this weekend is ‘Never be satisfied until we have a ring,’” Beatty said.

■ Reed 10, Foothill 0 — The Raiders struck for four runs in the top of the first inning and eliminated the Falcons (21-15) in five innings.

Megan Dettling had an RBI single, and Marriah Levesque added a two-run double in the first inning for Reed, which scored three runs in the second.

Britni Greninger was 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs for Reed, while Jacquelyn Sertic tossed a three-hitter and struck out seven.

Kelsey McFarland, RaeAnn Brems and Enzweiler each went 1-for-2 with a single for Foothill.

DIVISION I-A

Pahrump Valley needed only one win Friday to reach its first state final in six years.

The Trojans, though, had their remarkable season come to an end.

Churchill County downed Pahrump Valley 6-3 in the winners’ bracket final of the Division I-A tournament at Bishop Manogue High School, relegating the Trojans to the losers’ bracket final.

Fernley then knocked the Trojans out of the postseason with a 9-8 victory.

Pahrump Valley (24-15) had won five straight postseason games after finishing third in the Sunset League.

Churchill County (25-9) and Fernley (29-8) will meet for the state title at 9 a.m. today at UNR’s Hixson Park.

■ Fernley 6, Boulder City 1 — Charlene Masterson’s first-inning RBI double was all the offense the Eagles could muster in an elimination-game loss to the Vaqueros.

Masterson also pitched a complete game and had four strikeouts for Boulder City (25-9), which had a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth.

DIVISION III

Time seemed to be running out on Lincoln County’s softball season Friday.

The Lynx trailed Yerington by a run and had just failed to get down a bunt with the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth inning in an elimination game of the Division III tournament.

But Chelsea Lloyd saved the day — and the season.

Lloyd belted a two-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Lynx a lead, and they went on to a 4-2 win over Yerington at UNR’s Hixson Park. Lincoln County (28-7) advanced to the championship game against White Pine (20-6) at 10 a.m. today at Bishop Manogue.

“I was looking for a pitch that was in my wheelhouse,” Lloyd said. “Right when I hit it, I knew it was out. I knew how solid it was. It was a feeling of relief, and I just felt the excitement going through my body.”

Lincoln County had just two hits in the first five innings against Yerington pitcher Angela Sciarani.

The Lions broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth on Brooke Menesini’s RBI triple. Menesini later scored on a foul sacrifice fly to left.

Down to their final six outs of the season, the Lynx responded.

Easton Tingey doubled, and Chesnee Harding followed with a single to left. A bobble in left field allowed Tingey to score and moved Harding to second.

But the Lynx gave away an out on a popped-up bunt before Lloyd drilled a 1-0 pitch over the wall.

Josie Burgess added a two-out RBI single to up the lead to 4-2.

DIVISION IV

Madison Harris’ one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday scored Kennedy Huntsman with the winning run to lift Pahranagat Valley past Eureka 6-5 in the winners’ bracket final of the Division IV tournament at Bishop Manogue High School.

Huntsman opened the seventh with a single and moved to second on Jamie Hansen’s ground ball. She then took third on a wild pitch before scoring on Harris’ single.

Harris finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Huntsman was 2-for-4 with a double for Pahranagat Valley (24-4), which will meet Eureka (26-2) again at 10 a.m. today at Manogue. The Vandals won their way back to the final but must beat the Panthers twice today to win the title.

■ Wells 8, Indian Springs 0 — The Leopards eliminated the Thunderbirds (9-11) in a losers’ bracket game.