Big effort ends 'Stangs' slide

 

CENTENNIAL -- It certainly qualified for a game in 2020.

For instance, the first pitch on Thursday was delayed by 24 minutes as the field wasn’t ready and had to be worked.

The game was played in very cloudy, 40-degree temperatures and on the heels of Colorado experiencing its greatest temperature drop (62 degrees) over a 24-hour period and its first snowfall of the season, a day into the second week of September.

Eaglecrest’s band, which actually had a big game, stayed and played throughout atop the bank overlooking the field, an unusual occurrence for a softball game. But with only four sports in this Season A of a fall facsimile, Raptors members with instruments don’t get many other chances as the other three active sports are boys golf, boys tennis and cross country.

So, yes, it was a coronavirus (COVID-19) game and, yes, Mullen certainly will take it.

The Mustangs led early and often in probably turning in their best efforts in a 10-8 road victory in the Centennial League. Now 2-4 in league and 2-5 overall, they left the field cold, but upbeat.

“It felt pretty good,” senior first baseman Lucia Hurtado said. “I think it was our best game of the year and we fought hard at the end to finish.”

Mullen had to hold on a bit against the Raptors (1-6, 2-6), who scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning and twice brought the tying run to the plate.

However, sophomore Morgan Margeson, who was strong all game, pitched out of the jam. Throw in double figure runs for the second time in 2020, a season-high 14 hits and better execution, and Mullen snapped a three-game losing streak in which it had been outscored by an aggregate 43-3.

“It was a confidence-builder for us,” Mustangs head coach Dave Atencio said. “A good one.”

Mullen put up a six-spot in the second, aided by five consecutive bunts that seemed to rattle the Raptors.

”I’m going to keep calling it until they stop it,” Atencio said.

Overall, Hurtado had three doubles. Bella Aragon had three hits. Avery Panozzo had two safeties, one a double. Margeson didn’t have a hit, but turned in two RBIs. The Bertsch twins, Madelyn and Maggie, were a combined 3-for-7 with three runs scored, three hits and two RBIs, and one of Maggie’s safeties was a run-scoring triple in the sixth. Joliana Encinias was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

In the field, Mullen was guilty of three errors, but also turned in some solid fielding, notably Madelyn Bertsch’s lunging catch to end the first.

“It was nice to come out with a win,” Maggie Bertsch said.

The Mustangs will be idle until Monday, when they head to Arapahoe for league play.

 

Mullen – Aragon cf 5-0-3-1, Walters ss 5-1-1-1, Panozzo c 5-0-2-1, Simms cr 0-1-0-0, Brady 2b 5-1-0-0, Hurtado 1b 4-1-3-2, Margeson p 3-0-0-2, Gutierrez cr 0-1-0-0, Mad. Bertsch lf 3-2-1-1, Mag. Bertsch 3b 4-1-2-1, Encinias rf 3-2-2-1. Totals 37-10-14-10.

Eaglecrest  --  Runia 3b 4-1-2-1, Demoss 2b 4-0-1-1, Paulsen 1b 4-0-1-1, Peppin c 4-0-2-1, Hale cr 0-0-0-0, Hendrian p 2-1-1-1, Castellon cr 0-1-0-0, Gilchrist lf 4-1-1-0, Herrera cf 4-1-1-0, Castro dp 4-3-2-3, Smith ss 3-0-2-0, Wilcox rf 0-0-0-0. Totals 33-8-13-8.

E – Peppin, Demoss, Mag. Bertsch, Walters, Aragon. SAC – Demoss, Margeson, Smith. LOB – Mullen 10, Eaglecrest 9.

2B – Hurtado 3, Encinias, Runia. 3B – Castro, Mag. Bertsch. HR -- Hendrian, solo in 2^nd.

W -- Margeson. L -- Hendrian. Batteries – Margeson and Panozzo; Hendrian and Peppin. WP – Hendrian, Margeson. HBP – Hurtado (by Hendrian); Encinias (by Hendrian); Hendrian (by Margeson). SF – Runia. T – 2:08.