Silverado overpowers Centennial

Zack Hall

Thursday, April 13, 2000 | 10:38 a.m.

As the five-time defending Southern Zone champions, the Silverado softball team wanted to show first-year Centennial just what it takes to become a power.

The Bulldogs have been an upstart this season with a 14-5 record entering Wednesday's game with the Skyhawks.

Silverado proved, however, that it was not yet ready to let the Bulldogs onto their level of play by beating them 8-4 on Centennial's home turf.

"We knew that (they were good) and that's why we scheduled them," said Silverado coach Chuck Pope. "Cyndi (Parus, Centennial coach) is a good coach and we knew she would have a good ball club ready to play. We need good competition to try to survive our division."

The Skyhawks (17-6) made a statement early in the game by scoring six runs in the second inning anchored by a three-run home run by Mindy Ogan against pitcher Ashlee Dean.

Dean lasted only 2 1/3 innings, giving up six runs, before being replaced by Amy Sauer, an all-state performer for Mojave last season.

Sauer is among a group of Centennial players who have varsity experience elsewhere or have played in the American Softball Association (ASA) over the summer. That has provided the Bulldogs with more experience than the average first-year school.

"They're not really a first-year club," Pope said. "This town is all about who plays ASA. If you look consistently through the whole valley, those kids are doing very well."

Centennial made an attempt to come back with a run in the third and two more in the fifth, when Dani Delgado hit a two-run homer over the head of Silverado leftfielder Bridget Byrne. But Keely Commerford pitched well the final three innings, yielding a run on one hit and three walks.