DIVISION III SOFTBALL: Lincoln County regroups, wins state title

After dropping its first game Saturday, Lincoln County’s softball team was trying to get out of the heat and regroup.

It was then that their veteran coach reminded them of their practices in snow and wind, and how far his young team had come.

The perfect reminder at the perfect time.

The Lynx rebounded from an opening game loss Saturday to defeat White Pine, 8-3, in a winner-take-all game for the Division III state title at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium.

“We just reminded them of all the hard work, all the cold days, all the snowy days and the windy days,” said Lincoln County coach Pat Kelley, whose team successfully defended the title it won in Reno last year. “They had put in too much work to just die. We just had to come out and play our game.”

Easton Tingey had an RBI single in the first inning, and Abby Schimbeck and Alisha Rowe each drove in a run in the second inning as the Lynx (26-8) built a quick 4-0 lead.

“That was really important,” said Kelley, whose team led 2-0 in the first game Saturday before White Pine used a five-run fifth-inning to win 5-2 and force the decisive game. “It kind of set them back a little bit, and it got us going again.”

The Bobcats (18-9) strung together three hits and a walk in the third inning to cut the lead to 4-2 before Kelley called on his team’s lone senior to close the door

Aspen Wilkin, who tossed a six-hitter but took the loss in the first game, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and allowed just an unearned run on three hits in the final 4 2/3 innings

“She has done that for us all year long,” said Kelley. “Last year at state, she did the same thing for us.”

The Lynx tacked on four runs on three hits in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach.

Rowe was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, and Schimbeck went 1-for-4 with two RBIs from the No. 9 spot in the order.

“The second title is harder than the first one,” Kelley said. “They can say what they want, but it’s awesome. These kids deserve it.”

In the opener, White Pine freshman Britney Kingston overcame a nervous first inning to throw a four-hitter and force the extra game.

Kingston walked four in the first inning as the Lynx built a 2-0 lead, but allowed just three hits and a walk in the final six innings as the Bobcats rallied.

Four of White Pine’s six hits in the game came in the five-run fifth inning, including Ashlyn Huntington’s three-run triple to right center.