Local teams rise to the occasion

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 12, 2001 | 10:12 a.m.

A prep softball tournament with a decidedly California flavor turned into an all-Southern Nevada affair on Wednesday.

With high schools from the Golden State accounting for 23 spots in the 34-team Fred Davison Memorial Tournament, Las Vegas' own Centennial and Durango outlasted the competition to reach the prestigious gold championship -- the first time in 14 years two local squads have played for the title.

The Bulldogs became the first area tourney's winner in six years, holding on for a 2-1 victory over the Trailblazers at the West Flamingo Softball Complex to avenge one of their two losses this season.

"Obviously, Durango is a great team and they're full of talent," Centennial coach Cyndi Parus said. "But we weren't gunning for Durango or Bonanza or any of the local teams. We had to go through some great teams just to get here, so we weren't looking ahead at all."

The Bulldogs (21-2) scored the only runs they would need in the game's first inning, taking advantage of some wildness by Durango pitcher Tisha Salamino.

After Tory Healy, Whitney Hance and Shannon Crisp -- three of the first four batters -- singled to load the bases, Salamino hit Amy Sauer with a pitch to plate the first run. Then with two outs, a Salamino wild pitch allowed Hance to score from third for a 2-0 Centennial lead.

"We've done that all year -- get out first and get a lead," said Healy, who finished 2-for-4.

Crisp took over from there, retiring 20 of the first 24 batters she faced before allowing the Blazers' only run in a seventh inning that featured a pair of Centennial errors.

"We've been really good about getting out in front," Parus said. "It's just a matter of staying confident and tough all the way through and not making the mental errors."

Crisp, a freshman, finished with a four-hitter, striking out 11 batters and walking two. Salamino and reliever Aja Sherman combined on a five-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Last month, Durango (21-2) posted a 3-2 victory in the teams' first clash. Centennial's only other loss this year came to Silverado, with the Trailblazers' other defeat coming at the hands of Deer Valley (Ariz.) in the Tournament of Champions.

Also on Wednesday, Bonanza upended El Capitan (Calif.) 3-0 for the silver championship, and Cimarron-Memorial rallied for a 4-2 win over Mira Mesa (Calif.) in the red title game. Las Vegas High fell to West Hills (Calif.) 9-2 in the white championship.