Norco pulls away from King to win Big VIII showdown
The Norco softball program lost a lot of thump in its lineup with the graduations of sluggers Mya Perez, Alyssa Hovermale and Riley Potter.
That formidable trio combined to hit 32 home runs last year. The Cougars are relying on alternative methods to push runs across the plate this season.
Tamryn Shorter, Kaley Cook, Dakota Potter and Maddy Aguilera — the first four hitters in Norco’s lineup — combined to go 9 for 14 and drive in eight runs Wednesday afternoon as Norco defeated King 9-3 to take sole possession of first place in the Big VIII League standings.
Shorter went 4 for 4 and scored four runs from the leadoff spot. Potter knocked in five runs despite recording only one base hit. Cook and Aguilera each had a pair of hits for the Cougars (11-3 overall, 3-0 in league), who are averaging 7.3 runs per game this season.
“We can’t sit around and wait for the two- or three-run homers to come around. We have to manufacture those runs in different ways more this season,” Norco coach Rick Robinson said about the offense. “We have to do it with speed and timely hitting. … And those first four are really setting the table.”
Shorter and Potter hit in the bottom third of the order last season, but both were elevated to the top of the lineup this season. Shorter closed out her sophomore campaign on a tear and has carried things over to this season, batting .511 with four home runs.
“As the leadoff hitter, I just know I have to get on any way I can. It can be a bunt, an infield hit or even a home run,” Shorter said.
Potter often operated as a secondary leadoff hitter from the No. 9 spot during her first two seasons at Norco. Her job now is to help clear the table.
“I’m just looking to get those runs home when someone is on base,” said Potter, who drove in at least one run in all four plate appearances Wednesday.
Norco grabbed a lead in the first inning when Shorter smacked the first pitch for a triple and scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Potter. King (9-6, 2-1) answered back in the top of the second, as Janai Davis-stover doubled to the gap in right-center field to score Karsyn Sanchez.
NORCO >>
Sasha Pham drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the second, and Norco regained the lead when she scored on a single by Cook. Potter followed that with a hard single to center field to bring home Shorter and Cook and extend the Cougars’ advantage to 4-1.
Leighton Gray crushed a solo homer over the wall in left field with two outs in the third inning. Potter had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Aguilera’s double to right-center with two outs in that same inning plated another run to give Norco a 7-1 lead.
“Their leadoff hitter (Shorter) was 4 for 4, so we have to do a better job with her,” King’s first-year coach Lana Carlone said.
Freshman Coral Williams allowed two runs and two hits in 4 1/3 innings of work to pick up the win for Norco. Williams gave way in the fifth inning to Peyton May, a sophomore transfer from Orange Lutheran. May was eligible to play for the first time Wednesday following a mandatory 30-day sit-out period. May allowed seven hits over 2 2/3 innings in her debut with Norco but limited the damage to only one earned run.
“We have four pitchers on this team. So, whoever is the hot pitcher at the moment will be the one who is throwing,” Robinson said.
King pulled within 7-3 in the top pf the fifth inning when Lynette Vu doubled home a pair of runs. But Norco got those back in the bottom of the sixth, when Cook doubled home a run and later scored on an RBI groundout by Potter.
Last week, King scored the final four runs and pulled out an 8-7 victory over Roosevelt in its league opener. The Wolves were hoping for similar magic Wednesday afternnoon, as they collected three singles against May in the top of the seventh inning. However, the comeback attempt was dashed a bit when Potter threw out Cheri Thompson at the plate with a throw from right field for the second out of the frame.
Thompson went 2 for 3 at the plate for King, and seven other Wolves recorded a base hit in Wednesday’s game.
“I was pretty happy with the offense today,” Carlone said. “We knew what we were walking into. Norco has some firepower in the lineup, and we were going to have to compete with that. I thought we were little too tight in those first two innings. We just think we need to play more freely.”