By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden softball snapped a four-game Centennial League losing streak in a big way Friday, rolling to a 15-0, 9-0 home sweep over Junction City in the Wildcats long-awaited home-opener.
Sophomore Blakely Walter threw a three-inning no-hitter in Hayden's 15-0 first-game win over Junction City Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Maura Valdivia threw a complete game three-hitter to complete Hayden's twinbill sweep over Junction City Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats improved to 9-5 overall and 4-4 in the league while Junction City fell to 0-14, 0-6 in the league.
"(Junction City coach Aaron Craig) was telling me that they've been ahead of the other team in 10 out of the 14 games that they've played, so it was good to shut them out twice,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said.
"I guess the good thing about it, too, is Junction City is a team that didn't make many errors at all. They walked us a lot and we hit the ball well, but it wasn't like one of those games that's no fun to play.''
Sophomore Blakely Walter threw a three-inning no-hitter in the first game, walking one batter and striking out two while the Wildcats did commit two errors.
Senior Emily Peterson sparked Hayden's 15-0 first-game win over Junction City Friday with a two-run first-inning home run. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Emily Peterson delivered the big offensive blow, blasting a two-run home run in the first inning while the Wildcats added four runs in the second and ended the game by way of a 15-run spread with a nine-run third inning.
Junction City kept Hayden off the scoreboard for the first time on the day in the opening inning of the second game, but the Wildcats broke the game open with five runs in the second before adding a run in the third, a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
The Wildcats had eight hits in the nightcap, including doubles from sophomore Carly McAlister-Mauldin, sophomore Morgan Johnson, junior Emberly Connell and Walter while junior Maura Valdivia went the distance for the pitching win, limiting the Blue Jays to three hits and striking out five.
While Reynoldson said it was good for Hayden to get back on track, he said there's still a lot of room for improvement if the Wildcats are going to mount a late-season charge.
"We've really seriously have just got to get better because we had several mental errors today that good teams don't have,'' Reynoldson said. "We have the potential to be good. We're not right now, but I thought we played defense better today.''
Hayden will host Osage City in a non-league doubleheader on Tuesday.
GAME ONE
HAYDEN 15, JUNCTION CITY 0
Junction City 000 -- 0 0 0
Hayden 249 -- 15 6 2
Walter and Matthews. Hayworth, Sederlin (3) and Nabus. W -- Walter. L -- Hayworth. HR -- Hayden: Peterson.
GAME TWO
HAYDEN 9, JUNCTION CITY 0
Junction City (0-14, 0-6) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
Hayden (9-5, 4-4) 051 012 x -- 9 8 0
Valdivia and Connell. Delory and Nabus. W -- Valdivia. L -- Delory. 2B -- Hayden: McAlister-Mauldin, Johnson, Connell, Walter.
