Youthful Lake Mead closes regular season with sweep

Lake Mead coach Kirk Pierzina entered the season knowing his six players who never had played organized softball would need time to develop.

Even after a 1-7-1 start, the Eagles didn’t panic. Four of the six newcomers became everyday players, and the Eagles are headed back to the postseason with only one senior.

Lake Mead closed the regular season with a 12-2, 15-3 sweep of Tonopah in the Class 1A Southern League on Friday at Tuscany Park.

Including two forfeits by Round Mountain, the Eagles (12-14-1, 9-3) will enter the playoffs with wins in seven of their past nine games.

“We saw it from the start that these kids are athletic and talented,” Pierzina said. “But not having played softball, there’s such a learning curve that we had to let them take their time and come into their own.”

The sweep is significant because it assured the Eagles will avoid a matchup with regular-season champion Pahranagat Valley (15-8-1, 12-0) in the first playoff round. No. 3 seed Lake Mead faces No. 2 Indian Springs (10-8, 9-3) in the first round Thursday at Alamo.

“I’m looking forward to state,” Lake Mead pitcher Lynzee Freund said. “Last year we lost in the game going to state by one run, and it was devastating. This year, I really want to push it all the way.”

Amanda Wellman was 5-for-7 with a home run and seven RBIs to lead Lake Mead. Her three-run, inside-the-park homer to left field gave the Eagles an 8-1 lead in the second inning of the nightcap.

Wellman said “it was really scary” when the Eagles began the season with so little experience, but the junior catcher was confident the newcomers would develop quickly.

“We’ve said from the start that this is a team that has great potential,” Wellman said. “The last few games, we’ve shown we want to bring that potential out on the field.”

Lake Mead won both games by the 10-run rule, the opener in six innings and the nightcap in five. The Eagles had 20 hits, with Annie Liston and Abby Gamino getting three each.

Freund struck out 10 in the first game, four in the second.

Kayla Misener was 4-for-6 with an RBI double to lead Tonopah (7-9, 6-6), which enters the playoffs on a four-game losing streak.