Softball: Chandler takes advantage of reprieve, beats Skyline in 10

April 9, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


It was one of those games the winning team feels like a prisoner granted a pardon. The losing team feels sick. Wretched. Like they'd sustained a booming, unexpected punch to the gut.

Chandler's softball team was the one set free Thursday afternoon as it used Skyline's generosity in the seventh inning and a hitting barrage in the 10th inning to knock off Skyline, 9-4, in a three-hour, Division I game at Skyline.

Chandler's Kate Gross, who batted for the sixth time in the game in the 10th with a full house of three strikeouts and two ground outs to third, singled to snap a 4-4 tie and ignite a five-run rally. Gross's single was the third of six hits in the frame by the Lady Wolves. Rachel Brown, Sydney Behrens and Gabby Noriega added RBI after Gross. That pushed Chandler's record on the year to 11-9-1 overall and 4-5 in power-ranking games. The Lady Wolves had dropped five power-ranking games in a row -- three by one run -- until Thursday. Skyline has now lost three consecutive power-ranking contests.

It was a bitter pill for Skyline as the Lady Coyotes sustained a late 6-5 loss two days ago to Williams Field. Skyline fell to 11-11 overall and 5-4 prg. Skyline entered play Thursday at No. 19 in the power rankings while Chandler was at No. 27. The top 24 teams qualify for state.

Chandler's first four runs were all unearned, thanks to most of Skyline's six errors to that point. The last three of those four runs came in the top of the seventh with Skyline cruising with a 4-1 lead behind its iron horse Kaitlyn O'Day. Prior to the seventh, O'Day had allowed five hits, two walks and struck out five. Chandler tallied the three, game-tying runs on no hits, three errors, a walk and a passed ball. Two of the errors and the passed ball (which scored the tying run) came with two outs.Skyline finished with seven errors.

Skyline was in command at the start scoring three runs in the first and forcing a pitching change after only one out. Chandler's ace Gabby Baker, limited the first-inning damage to three by striking out both hitters she faced in the first. The only run she allowed came in the fifth as Skyline's Jaycee Lindley doubled home Maddy Mercer. Baker gave up eight hits and fanned 10 in 9 2/3 innings of work to earn the victory.

Chandler's Rachel Brown toopped her team with three hits while Behrens and Gabby Noriega and Abbey Brumfiel collected two hits each. Lynzee Bollinger, Maddy Mercer and Kristen Braley had two hits apiece for Skyline -- Bollinger had two RBI.