The Durango Demons went down to the wire with rival Montezuma-Cortez on Tuesday.
Durango High School’s softball team came with an 8-7 victory against the Panthers in Cortez.
“It was a close game all the way through, but the girls persevered and beat them both mentally and on the field,” DHS head coach Chelsea Rodriguez said in an email to The Durango Herald.
Senior captain Kelly Perry started things off with a solo home run in the first. It was the first homer of her career. She went on to finish 3-for-4 at the plate and scored twice.
Shilo Gillen also contributed at the plate with two clutch sacrifice flies that scored two runs, Rodriguez said.
Cami Bisbee pitched a complete game in the circle. She had three strikeouts and two walks in seven innings of work.
A diving catch by Katrina Chandler in center field helped lead the strong defensive performance.
“It was an all-around team win,” Rodriguez said. “We made some untimely mistakes, but everyone stepped up and made up for those mistakes with their bats.
“The energy in the dugout was much better than we’ve seen the last few weeks, too. The girls were loud and into the game from the start. Whenever we play Cortez, it can get pretty crazy, and the girls definitely thrive on the competitive energy when it’s a rivalry game like this.”
The Demons will look to make it two in a row this weekend at the Delta Invitational. DHS will open against Eagle Valley on Friday night before facing Rifle on Saturday.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
