Thursday, April 25, 2002 | 9:42 a.m.
Anyone planning on checking out this year's 4A state softball tournament shouldn't be surprised to run into a woman sporting bright purple hair.
That would be Sandy Morgan, head coach of the Durango Trailblazers. Early in the season, when most were counting her squad out in 2002, Morgan made a deal with her players she might live to regret.
"They made me promise to dye my hair purple if we made state," Morgan said. "I thought it was a safe bet at the time. It seemed like such a long shot."
Six weeks later, it's the Blazers looking like the safe bet -- to make it all the way to the state tournament. Morgan's squad is 22-7 overall, has lost just once to a team from Nevada (No. 2 Centennial) and sits atop the Southwest Division with a 6-0 league mark.
So how has a team comprised largely of young varsity newcomers become one of the best in town? According to Morgan, the Trailblazers have done it by leaning on their two senior stars -- third baseman Stefanie Fisco and second baseman Sara Spenia.
"It's Sara and Stefanie who say, 'We will not lose,' " Morgan said. "They play with such confidence and such spirit, the new kids have all picked up on that."
Just two of four starters back from last year's team (sophomores Nikki Ortiz and Amy Gleicher are the others), Fisco and Spenia have been counted on for much more than their gaudy offensive numbers and stingy defensive play. The two four-year varsity players are also the unquestioned leaders for Durango.
"It's a lot different than what last year's seniors had to deal with," Fisco said. "This year we have so many young players, but they're coming along quickly."
Added Spenia: "It's a good feeling when someone comes to you and asks for advice. Sometimes I yell out there, but I never mean it."
Of course, having a leadoff hitter with a .555 on-base percentage (Spenia) and a cleanup hitter with an area-best nine home runs (Fisco) doesn't hurt either. Both equally important to the Blazers' offensive success, the two players understand their roles well.
Spenia's game is about getting on base, where she can put her speed and savvy into action. Successful on 11 of 12 stolen-base attempts this year, Spenia also has a team-high 38 runs to go with a .380 batting average, 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBIs.
Fisco, on the other hand, is power personified. A threat to clear virtually any fence in Southern Nevada, she has nearly twice as many home runs as anyone else in town, along with a team-best .553 batting average, 38 RBIs and eight doubles.
Anyone who follows high school softball knows, however, that hitting alone does not a contender make. And that's where junior Kristen Gilliland comes in.
After pitching in just one varsity game last season, Gilliland has risen to the challenge in 2002, throwing all but two of her team's 29 contests. Last week, in a critical league game at Bonanza, she held the Bengals to just one run.
"Kristen came into this year knowing she would be our only pitcher, so she was focused on getting better," Spenia said. "We'll go as far as she can take us."
Should that include a trip to the state tournament, it will provide Fisco and Spenia with an opportunity to erase one of their biggest disappointments in more than 10 years of playing club and high school ball together.
On the final day of the 2001 postseason, the Trailblazers dropped a pair of heartbreakers to Wooster -- the second after building a 6-0 lead -- to wind up second in the state.
Now before Fisco and Spenia head off to play college softball at Southern Utah and Marshall, respectively, the duo would like a chance to finish one spot better than last year. And to turn their coach's hair a mighty strange color.
"I haven't made a (salon) appointment yet or anything, but this is a team that battles and refuses to lose," Morgan said. "And if anyone deserves to win state, those two do. They've played with so much heart."
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