SMALL SCHOOLS: Koopman sets record, leads Eagles to state

Karlee Koopman has won plenty of big games in her four-year varsity career with Boulder City’s softball team.

Few will be as memorable as Saturday’s Class 3A Southern League tournament final.

Playing on her home field for the last time, Koopman hit a three-run home run in the first inning to break the program’s single-season RBIs record and was the winning pitcher in a 15-2, five-inning rout of Virgin Valley.

Boulder City (29-3) won its third straight league tournament and clinched the South’s only bid to the 3A state tournament, which begins Thursday at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno.

“It is really hard to believe,” Koopman said of playing on her home field for the last time. “We’ve been playing since we were 10 together, and that was our last home game together.”

Koopman belted a three-run homer to left field on the first pitch she saw as part of a four-run first inning. She finished 2-for-4 and drove in four runs, bringing her season RBI total to 68.

“That was outstanding,” Eagles coach Bruce Reid said. “That’s a great feeling to see that. She was close, and then she got a dry spell in there a little bit, and then all of a sudden broke loose again, so it’s really been nice.”

Koopman also pitched a five-inning complete game, allowing one earned run on seven hits with no walks while striking out seven.

Boulder City scored six runs and sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning, highlighted by Ali Rants’ two-run single down the third-base line.

Alex Frye went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Boulder City, and Rants was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Jeanette McQuillan added two hits for the Eagles.

“Our hitting has been phenomenal all season,” Koopman said. “We haven’t given up at all, and our defense has been really strong as well.”

Tania Avalos went 3-for-3, and Lexi Barnum was 2-for-2 with two RBIs for the Bulldogs (10-21).

CLASS 2A

K.C. McCrosky pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run to lift Lincoln County to a 7-1 win over Needles in the Class 2A Southern League tournament final at Laughlin.

Hatty Brown went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for Lincoln County (25-4), and Jaycee Wadsworth was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Chanel Adamson and Kourtney Gloeckner each added two hits for the Lynx, who led 7-0 after three innings.

Both Lincoln County and Needles (18-10) advance to the 2A state tournament, which begins Thursday at Lovelock.

CLASS 1A

Brandi Bryl pitched pair of gems and drove in a total of five runs to lead Indian Springs to the Class 1A Southern League tournament title with a pair of victories over Tonopah at Sunrise Mountain.

Indian Springs forced a second championship game with an 18-1 win in the opener then captured the title with a 12-0 win.

Bryl fired a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the first game for Indian Springs (22-1). She also went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Kyli Lopez (three RBIs) and Heather Thormahlen (two RBIs) each had two hits for the Thunderbirds, who scored 12 runs in the top of the seventh.

Bryl pitched a five-inning two-hitter with no walks and four strikeouts in the finale, and went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Baylee McCormick was 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, and Thormahlen went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Tessa Lounsbury tripled for the Thunderbirds.

Alli Friel tripled for Tonopah (8-10).

Both teams advance to the 1A state tournament, which begins Thursday in Reno.