No. 1 Gorman rolls No. 2 Tech, wins 4A Mountain League

With the Class 4A Mountain League softball title on the line, Bishop Gorman pitcher Jordyn Fray told coach Kevin Smith she wanted the ball.

The senior right-hander delivered in the Gaels’ regular-season finale.

Fray threw a shutout with seven strikeouts as Gorman, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s 4A softball rankings, cruised past No. 2 Tech for an 8-0 road win Wednesday.

“(Fray’s) our senior pitcher, and she learned a lot from (former pitcher Rylie Pindel) on how to want the ball,” Smith said. “She wants the ball in these types of situations. She was begging for the ball. She wanted the ball, and she came out here and performed pretty good today.”

Fray allowed four hits — the only base runners for Tech (15-5, 12-2) — and threw strikes on 66 of 93 pitches to go the distance.

Fray received run support early. Freshman first baseman Samantha Lefever hit a home run to left field on the game’s second pitch for Gorman (20-10-1, 14-0).

After leaving multiple runners on base in the first and third innings, the Gaels capitalized on their scoring opportunities in the fourth. Lefever drove in two runs on a double with two outs, and senior third baseman Kyla Acres hit a two-run homer to put Gorman ahead 4-0.

The Gaels added two more runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. Lefever finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, and Acres was 3-for-3.

Tech’s best chance to break through came in the third. Freshman pitcher Nevaeh Fuller and sophomore shortstop Aysia Suyat singled and advanced on a wild pitch with two outs, but Fray got junior center fielder Kaylee Farasy to ground out to end the inning.

“Jordyn and (senior catcher) Chloe (Makinney) had a great game plan,” Smith said. “Jordyn was spinning the ball a lot, and the defense behind her made the plays. Strong pitching, strong defense and timely hitting, those are the three keys right there.”

Gorman needed a rally in the sixth inning to beat Tech 4-3 in the teams’ earlier meeting April 14 at Gorman.

“This time they really wanted to step it up,” Smith said. “(Tech) is a well-coached program, so we knew they were going to bring it. The girls just came and were ready to go.”

By winning the Mountain League, Gorman will be a No. 1 seed in the 4A state softball playoffs — which begin May 10 — with a bye into the second round.

The Gaels cruised to the 4A state title last year but graduated several key members from the team. Smith said the way the players support one another and have improved every game this season will help them in the playoffs.

“The girls have picked up each other, and that’s really crucial for this team,” Smith said. “We have to keep playing together as a team and see where that takes us.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.