Mustangs drop softball opener

LITTLETON -- For starters, it was a little rough and indecisive against very good competition.

But Mullen will learn from its opening-day loss on Thursday at Jefferson County's Chatfield, Mustangs head coach Alan Colglazier said after a 10-0 setback in nonleague in five innings.

The Mustangs simply ran into a hot Class 5A Chargers team that is off to a 5-0 start. And there wasn’t much they could against pitcher Izzy DiNapoli, a junior right-hander who was dominant.

“She has played a lot of travel ball against good competition,” Colglazier said. “We just need to learn from this. It was our first game and we need to work on getting better.”

Mullen and pitcher Marissa Sanchez kept the Chargers scoreless in the first inning off a solid double play, one that began with a rundown between home and third base and ended with a tag of another runner at third.

However, Chatfield, a big-school state qualifier a year ago, scored in each of the next four innings, rapped 15 hits, two for home runs (including by
DiNaopli), and backed DiNapoli with efficient defense.

All told, 4A Mullen had just one hit, an infield single by left fielder Maddie Bertsch in the second, but couldn’t score after getting second and third with one out.

“We score there and it changes the complexion of the game,” Colglazier said.

Mullen also managed to reach the outfield just once, on a fly ball to left field by Emma DiGiacomo to open the third, and the final 11 Mustangs at the
plate went down in order.

“Obviously, our approaches were very tentative today,” Colglazier said. “If we’re going to lose, we’re going to lose at full speed, not tentatively. We didn’t make adjustments at the plate. We were getting jammed.”

Plus, Sanchez’s lack of location led to getting hit around and Colglazier said he talked about it with her after the game “and she said all the right things.”

The coach added: “We have to be accountable and everything (the Mustangs) said after the game was right on.”

Colglazier said his team will get some work done before the next round, Mullen’s home opener on Monday, Aug. 26, against the rival Holy Family Tigers of Broomfield.

“We’re going against the (defending) 4A champions,” Colglazier. “We’ll be fine.”

 

Mullen – DiGiacomo 2b 2-0-0-0, Panozzo c 2-0-0-0, Sanchez p 1-0-0-0, Medina cr 0-0-0-0, Mag. Bertsch 3b 2-0-0-0, B. Hawkins ss 2-0-0-0, Mad. Bertsch lf 2-0-1-0, Hurtado rf 2-0-0-0, Brady 1b 2-0-0-0, Aragon cf 2-0-0-0. Totals 17-0-1-0.

Chatfield – P. Shepard cf 4-0-3-1, Bidwell 3b 3-1-2-1, M. Shepard ss 2-2-2-1, DiNapoli p 3-1-2-3, Morrell cr 0-10-0, Hochevar c 3-1-0-0, Horton 1b 3-1-2-1, Washco lf 3-2-2-2, Levin 2b 2-0-0-0, Packard ph 1-0-0-0, DiPaola cf 2-1-1-0, Robinson ph 1-0-1-0. Totals 27-10-15-9.

E – Bidwell, Brady, Sanchez. DP – Mullen. LOB – Mullen 3, Chatfeld 5. SB – D. DiPaola. Caught stealing – P. Shepard. SAC – Bidwell.

2B – M. Shepard, Bidwell, Washco. HR – Washco, one on in second; DiNapoli, one on in fourth.

Batteries – Sanchez and Panozzo; DiNapolii and Hochevar. W – DiNapoli. L – Sanchez. WP – Sanchez. T – 1:11.