Yingling’s two-hitter helps Gaels complete sweep of Trailblazers

It wasn’t so long ago that Bishop Gorman’s softball team had to scrap and claw just to be in the Sunset Region playoff race.

On Monday, the Gaels inched closer to a Southwest League title.

Dayton Yingling pitched a five-inning two-hitter with five strikeouts and also drove in two runs to lead Gorman to an 11-1 victory at Durango.

Gorman (18-4-1, 11-0 Southwest) completed a regular-season sweep of second-place Durango (12-12, 9-2) and holds the tiebreaker over the Trailblazers, taking a two-game lead with five remaining.

“It was really huge that we were able to take two from Durango this year. That’s the first time we’ve ever been able to do that,” said Gorman coach Kevin Smith, whose team beat Durango 10-1 on March 26. “First and foremost, that was really important to these girls.”

Gorman jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Carrie Keller’s two-run single up the middle and Machenzie Tucky’s sacrifice fly to left field.

Yingling, a sophomore, got out of jams in the first and third innings.

Durango scored a run on an error to pull within 3-1 and had runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Yingling struck out Allisa Martine to end the threat.

The Trailblazers then loaded the bases with one out in the third before the Gaels turned a double play.

Brittany O’Hearn lined out to second baseman Bailey Zavala, who made the toss to second base to end the inning.

“Durango’s girl hit a nice line drive. Fortunately our second baseman made the catch and turned and made the quick play over to second,” Smith said. “So of course, any time you turn a double play, especially with the bases loaded, it’s definitely a huge pick-me-up for us, a huge momentum swing right there.”

Gorman scored four runs in the fifth, highlighted by Victoria Villanueva’s two-run single to right, to put the run rule into effect. Yingling pitched a perfect fourth and fifth inning.

“She’s been our horse; she’s carried us,” Smith said of Yingling, who issued only one walk. “And when she does struggle, the team seems to pick her up, and sometimes when she’s up to bat, a good at-bat will change her mindset and things start to go good for us.

“Right now that’s been the motto; everybody on the team has to pick up everybody, but Dayton, she’s been a workhorse.”

Alexandria Gordon, Keller and Jasmine Gibson had two hits apiece for the Gaels, and leadoff hitter Shelby Estocado doubled and scored four runs.

Senior catcher Kendall Short went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run for Durango, which had its five-game winning streak snapped.