April 19 , 2005

Sports

Mike V. Morgan
Mesa Legend

Mesa Softball lost a pair of key games to powerhouse Pima Community College and have slid to 4-4 in the previous eight contests.
In the first of two games, MCC was shut down by Pima CC pitcher Ashley Monceaux and lost 6-2. MCC was never able to get any momentum going against Pima. Pitcher Malia Simmons was tagged for all six runs in a complete game giving her the loss.
Simmons, who contained Pima for the first two innings, gave up four runs in the third as the momentum started to shift Pima’s way.
The inning included a solo homer by Pima DH (designated hitter) Erin Slettvet. Simmons then gave up two more runs in the fourth inning for a total of six.
The main bright spot for MCC was shortstop Valerie Villela (2-4, 2 RBI), who drove in two runs with a two out bases-loaded double in the bottom of the seventh inning, but then was left stranded.
In the second game, MCC lost 8-3 in what turned into a slugfest between the two clubs.
MCC remained competitive despite pitcher Megan Niver giving up four homeruns in the game, including two off the bat of another Pima CC DH Veronica Rivera. Niver also gave up homeruns to both shortstops Lindsay Prigden and Monceaux (first base in this game) in the third and fourth innings respectively.
The Lady Thunderbirds rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to make a game of it, but fell a little short.
“We played a good team today,” MCC coach DeWight Byron said. Byron said the biggest bright spot was that the team remained competitive and did not give up until the very end.
Byron pointed to the fact that each game, the team rallied at the end of each of the games to make the games closer.
Despite the two losses, Byron remained optimistic, saying he still expected them to make the playoffs.
Byron said that after the losses, the team would focus on getting better seeding for the upcoming playoffs held May 6 and 7.