Durango High School’s softball team had a bit of everything in Saturday’s doubleheader at Delta.
The girls struggled in the opener against Rifle (3-9, 0-3 4A Western Slope League), falling 8-0, but came back in the second game to win a hard-fought 5-4 game against Eagle Valley.
Shilo Gillen had the lone hit for Durango (3-7, 1-0 4A/5A Southwestern League) against Rifle.
“We got off to a really bad start,” Durango head coach Chelsea Rodriguez said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “The energy was low in the first game, so we made a few changes and tried some new players in the second game. They really stepped up, and I’m excited for what they’re going to do for us in the future.”
Giving the younger girls some playing time paid off.
In game two, freshman pitcher Morgan Allen earned her first high school win for the Demons.
Allen induced the opponents into numerous ground-ball outs, and the defense made plays behind her.
While Allen took care of business in the circle, sophomores Alix Gillen and Annie Watson sparked the offense. Alix Gillen came up with two clutch hits to help the Demons’ cause, and Annie Watson wore out the Eagle Valley (2-4, 1-1 4A Western Slope) pitcher with a good at-bats.
Senior Kelly Perry did her part, as well. She came up with the big hit in the win, a double that led to two runs batted in and gave Durango the lead.
“We feel good after that second game,” Rodriguez said. “We came back after a tough first game and played a better game. We made fewer mistakes and just made more plays than the other team.”
Durango will hope to keep momentum going at 3 p.m. Friday when they play a doubleheader at Grand Junction Central.
jfries@durangoherald.com
