For the first time since 2017, the Durango High School softball team is 3-0.
The Demons took advantage of having their first three games at home by beating Basalt twice on Saturday, 11-4 and18-6, before beating Alamosa on Tuesday 6-5 with a walk-off hit.
Durango’s win against Alamosa was a nice turnaround from last season when the Demons lost to the Mean Moose 17-11.
“I've been really excited about how we've been hitting,” Durango head coach Sara Clair said. “I was really thrilled for my seniors on Tuesday, specifically Jenna (Glueck) and Bailee Franklin, who both stepped up. Jenna pitched really well … and then she had a huge, clutch triple … Bailee Franklin, was the one who had the walk-off hit to win the game, which was awesome.”
The Demons trailed 3-0 after the first inning and 4-1 after the third inning against Alamosa. Durango scored three runs in the fifth to tie the game before Alamosa retook the lead, 5-4, after the sixth inning.
Franklin’s line drive into right center field in the seventh inning was the difference that kept the Demons undefeated.
Durango outhit Alamosa 15-12 on Tuesday. The Demons also outhit the Mean Moose last season, but struggled with seven errors. Durango cleaned up the errors en route to victory this year.
Clair was impressed with Glueck’s pitching; the senior finished with nine strikeouts against Alamosa. Clair was also very happy with senior Alexa Capitan’s defense performance at third base and sophomore Kaitlyn Downey’s defensive performance.
Sophomore Avery Jensen led the Demons at bat with a 3-4 hitting day. Junior Avery Clair, Glueck and junior Alexis Wood each went 2-4.
Saturday’s doubleheader against Basalt wasn’t as dramatic. In Game 1, the Demons took a 2-1 lead after two innings and led 7-2 after four innings. Durango outscored Basalt 4-2 in the sixth inning for an easy victory.
Glueck had another strong game inside the circle in the first game against Basalt with 11 strikeouts.
“She’s keeping her ball low which is awesome,” Clair said about Glueck. “It’s got enough pop on it, she’s got enough speed, but when she can keep that ball low, it’s tough to hit, catch up with and girls are late. Then when she throws that off-speed pitch, it keeps them off balance.”
Avery Clair had a monster first game against Basalt, hitting two home runs, going 3-4 at the plate and finishing with four RBIs.
The second game against Basalt was a much quicker game as the Demons jumped out to a 16-5 lead after three innings and ended the game early with its 18-6 lead after the fourth inning.
Wood led the Demons at the plate going 3-4. Sophomore Abigail Gordon finished 2-3 at bat. Gordon also pitched most of the game and finished five strikeouts and walked eight batters.
Durango returns to its home field on Saturday with a doubleheader against Montrose. The Demons are looking to bounce back after splitting the season series with the Red Hawks last year. Durango had an 8-1 lead after three innings in its loss to Montrose before it was outscored 10-1 in the fifth inning.
Game 1 against Montrose on Saturday will start at 11 a.m. and Game 2 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
