Bonanza upends Silverado

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, March 16, 2000 | 9:28 a.m.

Notorious for sandbagging his team's chances every season, Silverado softball coach Chuck Pope has been insisting his concerns are well-founded this year.

Though his Skyhawks are coming off their fourth consecutive zone championship, Pope is quick to point out that his club is a shadow of the team that went to last year's 4A state title game.

On Wednesday, Silverado may have proved its coach right, as the hosts made four errors, including a key fifth-inning blunder that paved the way for a 6-3 Bonanza victory.

"Everybody continues to say we sandbag," Pope said. "I hope it's obvious to them now that the inexperience showed up. Bonanza is a solid, experienced team, and we're not learning in any way, shape or form."

With the two teams tied at three, Bengal pitcher Christy Carrasco on second base and one out in the top of the fifth, Bonanza's Katie Kaempfer singled, sending Carrasco to third.

Rather than stopping at first, however, Kaempfer rounded the bag and headed part of the way toward second. The Skyhawks fell for the trick, getting Kaempfer in a rundown but allowing Carrasco to score from third.

Worse yet for the hosts, Silverado (5-3) botched the rundown, failing to get the inning's second out. Moments later, after Ashley Mauro struck out, the miscue was magnified when Bonanza's Kerri Campbell belted a two-run homer to give the visitors a three-run lead.

"We don't get the rundown and then, boom, two-run homer," Pope said.

Instead, Bonanza (6-1) got its clutch, two-out blast by Campbell -- the game's third inside-the-park home run.

Carrasco finished with two strikeouts, but one of those Ks came when it counted most. With two on and two out in the final inning, she struck out Katie Relph, who represented the tying run.

Ashlie Vohs went 2-for-3 for Bonanza, while Kaempfer was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. For the Skyhawks, Commerford went 2-for-3 with her home run and a double.