Durango’s Sherman fires a no-hitter at Centennial

Leah Robinson

Friday, May 11, 2001 | 10:28 a.m.

When Aja Sherman hobbled out of the emergency room on crutches Tuesday, she thought her Durango teammates would have to get to state without her.

Two days later she threw a no-hitter.

Sherman battled through an ankle injury Thursday, shutting out Centennial 4-0 and securing her team's spot in today's 4A Sunset Region Softball championship and in next week's state tournament.

"It's taped up pretty tight right now," said Sherman, who injured her ankle Tuesday during a routine practice. "But it didn't give me any trouble while I was pitching."

Doctors initially told Sherman she'd be out for a week after she left the hospital sporting an air cast. But following a day of rest, Sherman said the pain was minimal, so she was given the green light to play.

Sherman struck out eight and walked two, allowing only one runner to advance past first base in an error-free game.

"I didn't even realize it was a no-hitter until they told me later," Sherman said. "I just tried to keep it away from the big hitters and take each batter one-at-a-time."

Sherman called the injury "a big setback," but it ironically could have been the inspiration for her stellar performance.

"Knowing that I might not get the chance to play made me want it more," she said. "I was determined to play."

The game remained scoreless through the third inning before Durango broke through with two runs in the fourth. Toni DelToro singled home Nikki Ortiz from second base, and Carli O'Toole's sacrifice fly scored Jamie Meranto, who was pinch-running for Sherman.

When Ortiz scored again in the sixth, this time on a Sherman single, Bulldog coach Cyndi Parus lifted pitcher Shannon Crisp for Amy Sauer. The final run came as Stefanie Fisco scored on a base hit by DelToro.

"Shannon was just gassed. When I took her out, she had pitched 13 (innings)," Parus said, referring to her team's 1-0 victory over Bonanza earlier. "Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't."

Durango (30-2) will play the winner of today's Centennial (30-3) vs. Bonanza (24-6) game today at 3 p.m. Should the Trailblazers lose, the championship game will be replayed since Durango has yet to lose in the double-elimination event.

"This is the first time we've stayed in the winning bracket all the way through," Blazers coach Sandy Morgan said. "Centennial is a quality team. We just outplayed them."

In today's 3 p.m. Sunrise Region finale, Silverado (35-2) will take on the winner of today's Eldorado (20-9) vs. Green Valley (15-13) contest. The Skyhawks defeated the Sundevils 3-1 in Thursday's final winner's bracket game, getting two unearned runs on a botched safety-squeeze play in the fifth inning.