Silverado, Bonanza enter softball playoffs as favorites

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, May 9, 2000 | 10:33 a.m.

In softball, as in most prep sports this year, the Sunrise and Sunset regions will split up for this week's playoffs. They won't be far apart, though, with the two tournaments sharing the fields at Henderson's Sunset Park.

Despite the proximity of clubs from the other side of town, Silverado coach Chuck Pope is planning to keep his sights set on the matter at hand -- earning one of the Sunrise Region's two state berths.

"We have a chance to be very focused on the group of teams we're playing," said Pope, whose club comes into the postseason with a 12-0 mark against the event's other seven teams. "We do not have to worry about the unknown of those Sunset teams."

Likewise, Bonanza coach Cheryl Speer is focused on capturing a state berth in the Sunset Region.

"There isn't one team that can't beat any other team on our side," Speer said. "It's just a matter of who gets timely hitting and solid defense."

Heading into Wednesday's action, the Skyhawks and Bengals are the clear favorites to win their respective sides and return to the 4A state tournament, where Bonanza finished second in 1998 and Silverado took runner-up honors in 1999.

Silverado (26-7), the five-time defending zone champion, is clicking after a slow start to the season. The Skyhawks have gotten solid pitching from starters Keely Commerford and Jackie Kinsey, and will be bolstered by the return of senior Kristen Toner -- an all-state center fielder coming back from a rotator cuff injury.

"I think we played as well as you can play last Friday," Pope said, referring to his team's 14-0 win over Basic. "Whether that transfers to this week we'll see."

Bonanza (21-4) has been the area's most consistent club all year, losing just twice to teams from Nevada. The Bengals have one of Southern Nevada's most proven pitchers in junior Christy Carrasco, who starred with catcher Katie Kaempfer on the 1998 club that wound up second in the state.

Several other teams should have legitimate chances to lay claims to their region's title, however, particularly in the loaded Sunset.

Durango, which came into the season as the odds-on favorite to capture the Sunset title, stumbled out of the gates. The Blazers showed they may have put it all together at the right time, though, stunning Bonanza 7-1 last Friday.

Cimarron-Memorial, a state qualifier last season, comes into the playoffs with two straight losses but has an experienced three-pitcher rotation.

First-year Centennial proved it could compete with the best in its inaugural season, splitting with Bonanza in two meetings this year.

On the Sunrise side, Eldorado posted a perfect 6-0 record in the improved Northeast Division this season, while Green Valley, Chaparral and Basic all bring recent playoff experience to the table. Green Valley and Chaparrel tied for second, with a coin flip today determining the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.

Pope warns that one of the area's overlooked teams -- Valley, Las Vegas or Rancho -- could make some noise in the Sunrise.

"I think we're going to see some tremendously tentative teams, and some chances for teams that have never been to the playoffs before," Pope said. "I don't think you can overlook anyone in this playoff situation."

Spencer Patterson covers prep sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or 259-4085.