CHEYENNE – The Twisters 14-and-under softball team has won 19 games in a row, including a perfect 6-0 mark at the Extreme Weekend in Cheyenne over the weekend on its way to a tournament win.
“From the last two weekends, we are playing at a high level,” coach Dan Fox said. “We are playing really good defense and not making mistakes.”
Twisters 10, Gold Diggers 0
The Twisters got action going on Friday with a solid start against the Colorado Gold Diggers, from Commerce City, Colo. The Twisters posted four runs in both the first and second innings, followed by another two in the third to seal the 10-run win with nine hits.
At the plate, Jaci Piercy notched a home run, finishing the game with two hits, with her other hit coming as a double, and two RBIs. Brady Laucomer, with a triple, and Paityn Homan, with a double, both finished the game with two hits. A.J. West kicked in another two RBIs for the Twisters.
Avery Fox started the game and went two innings for the Twisters, allowing no hits and recording five strikeouts and four walks. Piercy came in for the save, pitching a shutout third inning with two strikeouts and a walk.
Piercy plays for a softball team in Gillette, but due to a couple injuries for the Twisters, she joined the team’s ranks for the weekend.
“She fit right in there and that was nice,” Fox said of his stand-in player. “She picks up where Avery and Calysta (Trevino) leave off (on the mound).”
Twisters 10, Extreme 0
The Twisters started out slower in the second game of pool play, only scoring one run in the first inning, but the team quickly rebounded to plate six runs in the second. After another three Twisters runs in the third, the game against the Cheyenne Extreme was ended after three innings.
Emily McGaugh had a big stick in the game, notching two hits, including a triple, and an RBI. Homan, West and Kierra Miller all had two hits and two RBIs in the win. West had an extra-bagger in the form of a double.
Piercy and Fox switched roles on the mound for the second game Friday. Piercy pitched the first two innings, allowing zero hits and recording two strikeouts. Fox came in for the save, finishing with a strikeout and walk.
Twisters 7, Lady Cobras 6
The Twisters had to thwart a late-game rally attempt by the Lady Cobras from Pueblo, Colo. to seal the third win of the day. The Twisters plated five runs in the top of the first, followed by two in the bottom of the frame by the Lady Cobras. The Twisters notched two runs in the second to bring their total to seven, while their opponents scored another run in the second to trim the lead to 7-3.
After a scoreless top of the third, the Lady Cobras tallied three runs to cut the deficit to one. Both teams were kept away from the plate in the fourth inning, allowing the Twisters to hold on for the 7-6 win.
Laucomer, West and HeLena McGaugh each recorded two hits in the win. West had the only extra-base hit with a double. Fox managed to knock the team’s only other hit. West led the way with two RBIs, while McGaugh and Piercy each kicked in another RBI.
Fox toed the rubber to kick off the contest, going 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and five earned runs, but notching four strikeouts.
“When Avery is on the mound, the team knows what they are going to get from the rubber and they are comfortable in that,” Fox said.
Piercy came on for the save, allowing two hits, one earned run and recording two strikeouts in her 1 2/3 innings of work.
Twisters 17, Broadway Bombers 0
Fox kicked off bracket play Sunday with a stellar performance on the mound, pitching all three innings, allowing only one hit. Sixty-three percent of her 43 pitches came as strikes and she notched six strikeouts in the shutout win.
The Twisters had a good game at the plate to match Fox’s great pitching performance. The team racked up seven runs in both the first and second innings, followed by another three runs in the third to seal the win.
Nine different Twisters had a hit in the win. West had the big hit of the game with a homerun, finishing with two hits and three RBIs. Laucomer, Emily McGaugh and Calysta Trevino all had two hits in the win. Trevino and Marly Laucomer had two RBIs apiece.
“They push each other at the plate,” Fox said of the strong offense throughout the whole weekend. “That’s what makes us very difficult for opposing pitchers. We’ve got nine batters that are up there ready to hit.”
Twisters 4, Extreme 0
Not to be outdone by her pitching teammate, Piercy put together a stellar game on the rubber, pitching all five innings. She allowed one hit and two walks, but notched 10 strikeouts in the win. Of her 84 pitches, 46 were strikes.
At the plate, the Twisters turned their seven hits into four runs. The team scored one run in the first, followed by two in the second and their fourth run in the third. The Twisters were held scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, but due to Piercy’s five shutout innings, the four runs were enough for the Twisters.
“We feel like what we can control is our pitching and our defense,” Fox said. “We didn’t hit the ball very well against Cheyenne, but our pitching and defense kept us in there and we won a 4-0 shutout.”
Fox and Emily McGaugh both had two hits in the game, including a double from Fox. Piercy, West and Brady Laucomer rounded out the Twisters’ hits with one apiece. Laucomer topped the stat book with two RBIs, with Fox and Piercy each adding one.
Twisters 6, Lady Cobras 4
The Twisters had their hands full again in the championship game in a rematch against the Lady Cobras. After a run in the top of the first by the Lady Cobras, the Twisters rebounded with five runs over the first two innings. Both teams were scoreless in the third and fourth, sending the game to the fifth with the score at 5-1.
The Lady Cobras trimmed the lead to 5-2 with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Twisters scored in the bottom of the frame to push their lead to 6-2. Two runs in the sixth by the Lady Cobras brought the score to 6-4, but the score remained the same after the top of the seventh to seal the Twisters win.
The Twisters nine hits were well distributed across the roster. Fox led the team with two hits and two RBIs, while seven other players had a hit in the game. Trevino joined Fox at the plate with two RBIs and the duo each knocked a double.
Fox started the game on the mound, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. She finished the game with a strikeout and two walks. Piercy came on to close out the game, pitching 1 1/3 innings, recording a strikeout and allowing only one hit. The pair combined for strikes on 60 percent of their pitches.
“It makes us feel like we can compete at any level,” Fox said about beating a tough opponent twice in one weekend. “The second time we played them, our defense and pitching was great. It was our consistency in all three phases – pitching, defense and hitting.”
The Twisters have had a string of momentum this season, sitting with a 37-2 record. The team has won three-straight tournaments. They will look to continue that roll this weekend in Loveland, Colo. for the Mountain States Championship.
“We’re 37-2 overall right now,” Fox said. “We aren’t looking at wins and losses, we are just looking at being consistent and confident.”
