North All-Stars prevail

Make it three-in-a-row for the North in your scoresheets for the annual North/South All-Star Softball Series.

Behind the pitching of St. Pius’ Karisa Medrano and Sandia’s Maddie Machac, the North swept the South in a Friday night doubleheader in Clovis.

The final meeting of the third-game series is at 10 a.m. today.

“I hope we sweep them though,” Machac said. “That would be cool.”

First game

North 5, South 1

The South had its only lead of the night when Carlsbad’s Katie Jo Castaneda reached Medrano for a double in the first inning of the opener to score Clovis’ Jordan Garrett. But Medrano, who will play at Ohio State in the fall, got out of a jam in the third and had little trouble thereafter.

In the third inning, Medrano stranded Garrett at third by striking out one batter and then getting another South hitter to line out weakly to second.

“It seems like they (Medrano and Machac) don’t get rattled. That’s the neat thing about them — they have that willpower to fight, to get themselves out of those situations,” said North coach Randy Hunt from Laguna-Acoma. “I think it’s just a lot of heart.”

Soon, Medrano’s tenacity would pay off as the North began to rally off South pitcher Patricia Huerta of Hobbs.

In the bottom of the third, a double by Estancia’s Kayla Dominguez — the only representative of a school smaller than Class 3A — began a two-run rally. Medrano grounded out to drive in one run and Rio Grande’s Elizabeth Garcia singled hard to left to put the North up 2-1.

Th North added another run in the fourth when St. Pius’ Ashley Paiz tripled home West Mesa’s Noel Garcia.

Medrano, who allowed only two hits, struck out 13 batters — nine over her last four, hitless innings of work.

Over the first two innings, Garrett — one of two Clovis representatives — was flawless in the field at unfamiliar position (second base). In the first inning, Garrett dove to her left to rob Medrano of a hit and start a double play. The next inning, featured Garrett making an even tougher stop: a dive to her right to take a hit away from Bloomfield’s Kayla DeHerrera.

“Back when I was about seven, I played (second) on my slow-pitch team,” Garrett said. “The angle is completely different than shortstop. But it all seemed to come to me so instantly. I felt so comfortable out there.”

North 7, South 1

In the nightcap, the North jumped on top in the top of the first.

Machac, who would go the distance in the second game as a pitcher, slugged a triple to right-centerfield and was driven home by a single from Piedra Vista’s Samantha Davis.

However, the game remained close until the fourth as South pitcher Candace Pollard of Las Cruces High held the North bats in check temporarily.

The North loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth when left-handed hitting Medrano belted a triple to right center to clear the bases and make the score 4-0. Machac duplicated her first-inning blow by slamming another triple to the same spot to score Medrano.

“I think I did better hitting than pitching, because I just didn’t do my best pitching,” said Machac, who nevertheless allowed only three hits and struck out 10 South batters.

Portales’ Sasha Parker came in to pitch, in relief, in the fourth inning in the middle of a North five-run rally that blew the game open.

Parker held the North scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings before surrendering one run in the seventh.