JAY — The Pingree sisters, Jayden and Jazmine, led the way in Spruce Mountain’s 10-0 softball victory over Mountain Valley in six innings Friday.
Jayden was stellar in the circle, striking out 11, allowing one hit and four walks in five innings of work.
“She was hitting the zone,” Spruce Mountain coach Lisa Dube said. “Actually, she threw more balls than she has been, but she was throwing strikes, mixing it up a little bit, keeping the batters off-balance.”
Jazmine, the cleanup hitter, provided some offense for the Phoenix (2-0). Officially, she finished with two doubles and two RBIs, but Dube is calling the second double a walk-off homer.
After a three-run bottom of the fifth gave Spruce Mountain a 9-0 lead, Jazmine Pingree led the bottom of the sixth off with a blast that went over the fence in center field, appearing to end the game via the 10-run mercy rule. However, the home plate umpire ruled it a ground-rule double, and the second umpire agreed.
“I don’t know, it went over by a lot,” Jazmine said. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Dube and Mountain Valley (0-4) coach Gary Dolloff told the umps it was a homer, but the ruling stood.
It is the second time in two seasons that a homer has been called back in that fashion during a game between the teams at Spruce Mountain
“We did the same thing last year,” Dolloff said. “We hit one out, but they called it a double. The (Spruce Mountain) outfield came in and said it went out.”
The Phoenix’s next batter, Makinlee Holt, doubled home Jazmine Pingree to make the score 10-0 and end the game.
Spruce grabbed an early 2-0 advantage in the first inning when Holt picked up her first hit of the day, scoring Leah Burgess from second. Rylee Turner later scored on a passed ball.
Jayden Pingree struck out the first four batters she faced.
The fastball was her go-to pitch early on.
“In the beginning of the game it was, but as the game wore on, I got a little tired,” Jayden said.
She got in trouble in the top of the second when Ali Mazza reached first base on an error and Madisyn McLean walked. After Lanee Boucher’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners up, Mazza tried to steal home but got tagged out to end the inning.
Jayden Pingree retired the Falcons in order in the top of the third, striking out two, and she added three more strikeouts in the fourth. Mountain Valley left Emma Clukey stranded at second in the fourth after she singled to left field and stole second.
Doloff said the Falcons hadn’t seen a pitcher the caliber of Jayden this season.
“We were waiting for that big hit,” Doloff said. “We were waiting for that big hit, and it didn’t come. We are going to start putting the ball in play and see what we can do. It was probably the fastest pitcher we faced this year — we were trying to catch up to that.”
Spruce Mountain’s first two batters in the bottom of the fourth walked, then Santika Hodgkin loaded the bases with bunt single.
Jayden Pingree singled in one run. Turner grounded out but brought in another run, and Jazmine Pingree capped the four-run inning with a two-run double to center field that extended the Phoenix’s lead to 6-0.
“Both Jayden and Jazmine are hitting the ball well and hitting the ball hard, whether they are getting on or not,” Dube said. “Little Santika, my No. 9 hitter, laid down three bunts and gets on. That’s equally as important, sometimes.”
Jazmine struck out two more batters in the top of the fifth. Mountain Valley’s Brooke Bennett was stranded at third base after she walked, stole second and took third when the ball went to center field on the throw to second.
Spruce Mountain’s Mallory Clark doubled to left field to score one in the bottom of the fifth. Jayden Pingree reached on an error and scored another run, and Burgess hit a sacrifice fly to center to cap the three-run fifth for the Phoenix.
Turner relieved Jayden in the sixth and struck out three. Clukey doubled for Mountain Valley in the inning and took third on an error.
Dolloff said Clukey had a good game, as did second baseman Laycee Boucher.
“Emma Clukey played a solid game, and she had a nice double,” Doloff said. “Our second baseman made a couple of nice diving stabs in the field.”
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