Clark’s playoff drought ends after three years

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 | 9:35 a.m.

Brittany Garrett's sixth-inning RBI single to left gave Clark its first playoff victory in three years as the Chargers defeated Centennial 1-0 at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.

Clark starter Lydia Pierce held the Bulldogs hitless through six innings before giving up a seventh-inning double to Tatum Kennedy.

"If she had gotten under it a little bit, she'd have had it out of here," Centennial coach Mike Livreri said. "(Pierce) is a good pitcher. She's a senior, she's a veteran, she figured a couple girls out and it kept going from there."

The Chargers got seven hits off Centennial starter Kylie Kearns. They advanced to face tournament favorite Cimarron-Memorial today at Craig Park.

"It's helpful because this is the first time we've won a playoff game in I don't know how long," Clark coach Andrea Leavitt said. "Last year we got beaten both times against Centennial and Palo Verde. It's good to have one playoff win, we can work it from there. We've still got to improve some tomorrow."

Livreri said the experience was good for his team, which returned just four players from last year's state championship team. He also said he'll mention that his team will have a shot at payback with Clark before Centennial's game against Spring Valley today in the double-elimination tournament.

"We'd love to play them again," he said. "We've got to concentrate on Spring Valley now. We know Clark's down the road again. They definitely ain't gonna one-hit us again. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on that."

Once Around Town

Tuesday, the Wildcats and Falcons settled down a bit, with Vegas taking a 2-1 first-round playoff victory at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.

"It was kind of a different game," Vegas coach Kevin Jones said of his team's earlier 10-6 loss to Foothill. "We made some mental mistakes, and we had some physical errors."

This time, the Wildcats' Giovanna Guzman allowed just three hits while striking out eight Foothill batters in a complete game victory.

"We came out focused," Jones said. "They made us put the ball in play, we had the wind in our face, that was an equalizer as well. We had to play all seven innings -- they hung right there with us."

Las Vegas was the only Northeast Division team to win a first-round game. The Wildcats face Coronado today at Craig Park.

They'll need all the offense they can get. Today, Green Valley will likely face Silverado ace Kelly Griego, who sat Tuesday and may be looking for a little payback after being snubbed at the coaches' all-region voting.

Depending on Griego's status after an injury last week, Silverado could have Jessie Rivas pitch instead.

"She's such a competitor. I love her determination," Green Valley coach Mary Scales said of Griego. "She challenges every hitter that comes into the box. We have to take advantage of that. We have to be smart with our pitch selection and we have to make contact."

Scales said she thinks offense is the key, especially in regional play.

"The last two times we have played them, we hit the ball pretty well, but our defense hasn't been as solid as I would like it to be," she said. "If we can put together a decent game, it's anybody's ballgame."

The Skyhawks beat Rancho 10-0 Tuesday. Silverado drove in nine runs in the fourth inning, including home runs by Griego and Shannon Gobal. Rivas allowed two hits.

Silverado and Green Valley are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. today at Craig Park.

This time, a shutout by Kylee Kissane and Rebecca Rumsey helped the Mountain Lions make it a little easier on themselves, as they defeated the Mustangs 7-0 to advance in the Sunrise Region playoffs.

"It's a new season. You've got to go outand play hard every game," Sierra Vista coach Jerome Streets said. "We played with good intensity tonight, and having girls focused is a plus for us."

The Mountain Lions will play Southwest champion Bonanza this afternoon at Craig Park.

"They're a great ballclub," Streets said. "We've got a find a way to hit (Megan) Lambertz or (Joyce) Delp."

Shadow Ridge will play Palo Verde this afternoon in the one-loss bracket.

Spring Valley, the only first-year school to make the playoffs, lost 8-0 to Cimarron-Memorial. Jennifer Liddell gave up three hits and struck out five Grizzlies batters to earn the win.

Callaway finished with six strikeouts, giving up three hits and one walk. Bonanza starter Megan Lambertz gave up six strikeouts and three hits while walking two batters.

Bonanza had a two-out fifth-inning rally to score the game's only runs. Jessica Spencer had a leadoff single, and two outs later, Stephanie DeJesus reached base after her bunt got caught in the glove of the Panthers' first baseman.

Lambertz got herself the win with a single to left-center, driving in both runners. She had two of the three hits Callaway gave up.

"It was going to come down to somebody having a big hit," Panthers coach Jaime Ditto said. "We just haven't ended up on the right side of the big hit this year."

Palo Verde split with today's opponent in the one-loss bracket, Shadow Ridge.

"Shadow Ridge has been playing great ball, especially in the second round of the division," Ditto said. "What's been killing us is that we hit late, then we leave people on base. There's no consistency in hitting. That's what it's going to come down to. Linday threw a great game today. We just have not been supporting her on the offensive end at all."

Jeff Butler contributed to this report.