Spring Jamboree: Palo Verde’s Makall Whetten carries torrid season into tournament

Makall Whetten started Palo Verde softball’s first game of the day with a home run. She ended its second one with an outfield assist.

Friday was a microcosm of her season as a whole, and it’s been a good one.

The Panthers split their two games in the Spring Jamboree at Majestic Park, but Whetten shined in both. And it was her two-RBI double in the second game that opened the offensive floodgates in a 10-0, five-inning win over San Diego (California).

“I just go up there and look for a base hit, and sometimes it turns into something else,” Whetten said. “Just try to put a good swing on the ball.”

The Panthers (14-6) played their second game with an intensity they did not have in the first. Whetten took the first pitch of the game in the back, and came around to score two batters later. She came to bat again in the second, and drilled a double to the right-center gap to plate a pair. She singled home a run and later scored in the third.

And that was the lesser of her two games.

She cranked two home runs in a 5-3, six-inning loss to Carson (California) to start the day.

“It’s my senior year, I want to go out with a bang,” Whetten, a Southern Utah commit, said. “I try not to put my head up too much.”

After her performances Friday, she’s hitting .423 with a .534 on-base percentage and .915 slugging percentage. She has seven homers, six doubles, 16 RBIs and 25 runs in 20 games, all from the leadoff spot.

“She’s mentally here every day, and I appreciate that. She’s a good leader,” Palo Verde coach Kelly Glass said. “She’s a great leadoff batter, but she’s also a great RBI-producer.”

Sianna Lewis doubled and knocked in two for the Panthers against San Diego, and Lauryn Barker, Jessica Hopkins and Samantha Wade all had doubles.

Against Carson, Whetten homered twice and Makenna Martin accounted for the third run on a solo shot of her own. The Panthers took a 3-2 lead into the fifth, and turned to star pitcher Taylor Askland to lock down the save.

But a one-out single put a runner on, and then an infield error negated what could have an inning-ending double play. Instead, the next Carson hitter smashed a three-run homer to put Palo Verde in a 5-3 hole from which it could not recover.

“If they want to have any chance at doing what they were capable of doing last year, they have to play well every time they set foot on the field,” Glass said of the 2017 state-champion Panthers. “It was very frustrating.”

Brawley Union 8 (Calif.), Shadow Ridge 6 — Caitlyn Covington homered, but the Mustangs couldn’t overcome an early deficit in their five-inning quarterfinals loss to the Wildcats.

The Mustangs can play for fifth place on Saturday, the best potential finish for a local team.

Alisha Schultz and Shea Clements each went 2-for-3 for the Mustangs.

The Wildcats scored five in the opening inning and three in the second.

Centennial 5, San Pedro (Calif.) 0 — Amanda Sink fired a five-inning perfect game to lead the Bulldogs over the Pirates.

Sink added 10 strikeouts for the Bulldogs, who scored three in the first inning.

Deanna Barrera had a triple for Centennial, and teammate Maddie Kallfelz doubled.

Shadow Ridge 8, Westview (Ore.) 2 — Covington’s two-run homer gave the Mustangs the lead for good in their five-inning win over the Wildcats.

Shadow Ridge added five runs in the fourth to support the pitching of Mia Voges, who stopped Westview after allowing two runs in the first inning.

Clements added a double for the Mustangs.

Sierra Vista 6, Mingus (Ariz.) 3 — Hola Rosalia Nakayama and Aaliyah Medina homered as the Mountain Lions earned the six-inning win over the Mauraders.

Taylore Edwards had three hits, all singles for Sierra Vista, which quickly erased a two-run deficit with three in the home half of the first.

The Mountain Lions added three runs in the sixth, then held on for the win.

Pahrump Valley 13, Beaverton (Ore.) 0 — The Trojans scored 13 runs in the top of the third to run away from the Beavers in five innings.

Taylor Egan and Evandy Murphy each doubled for the Trojans.

Beaverton’s Noe Lambert hit a home run.

Poly (Calif.) 3, Desert Oasis 2 — Fia Tofi and Holly Severance each homered, but the Diamondbacks fell to the Parrots in six innings.

Their homers came in the sixth inning, and could not erase a 3-0 deficit.

Vivian Little threw a complete game and had an RBI double for the Parrots.

El Camino Real (Calif.) 10, Centennial 6 — Kiana Tate hit a grand slam for the Bulldogs, but they fell to the Conquistadors in five innings.

Rhea Paiva and Natasha Lawrence each doubled for the Bulldogs.

Centennial jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the top of the first, but allowed two runs in the first, five in the second and three in the third.

Maranatha (Calif.) 8, Sierra Vista 4 — Ryan Watkins had both of the Sierra Vista extra base hits with a home run and a double, but the Mountain Lions could not overcome the Minutemen.

Aryanna Granados and Devyn Netx each homered as part of a four-run first inning for the Minutemen.

San Fernando (Calif.) 7, Liberty 3 — Shelby Carvahalo cranked a homer, but the Patriots fell to the Tigers in six innings.

Cali Christopher tripled for the Patriots, and Maddison Hamilton was 2-for-2 with a double.

Jasmine Gonzalez added a double for Liberty.