In tune-up for state champs, Gallup bests Scorps

GALLUP

In a tune-up to playing defending 4A state champs Artesia on Saturday, the Gallup softball team pounded out 15 hits against 5A Farmington on Wednesday afternoon.

Of those hits, the Lady Bengals (8-6) got homers from Chaylee Becenti, Stephanesha Charlie and Ciara Spencer as Gallup posted a 12-2 win over the Scorpions.

Spencer got the hit parade going with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first for a 3-0 lead as her sixth offering from Farmington pitcher Rikki Wilkie cleared the fence in center field.

“That last pitch was down the middle, and inside so I just turned it,” the first baseman said.

Three batters later, Becenti added a solo that seemed to rattle the Farmington team for a 4-0 cushion.

“It’s funny because right when I hit it I was like ‘I could have gotten under the ball,’” she said. “And soon enough the ball was out and that was pretty surprising.”

The win on Wednesday afternoon was Gallup’s second against the Scorps as the Bengals outlasted Farmington 2-1 at last week’s Cleveland Classic.

“It came down to adjustments,” Gallup coach Ray Spencer said. “We knew what she (Wilkie) was throwing, and we tried to stay away from the high pitches.

“And when we stayed away from that, she had to throw strikes and then we can hit off those strikes,” he said. “That was the adjustments we made.”

The Scorps (11-5) got on the board in the top of the fourth with third baseman Taryn Maness scoring on an RBI ground out from shortstop Priscilla Nakai.

Gallup, however, upped its lead to 6-1 to close out the fourth thanks to three consecutive hits with Becenti and ace pitcher Seniah Haines making their way home.

In the fifth, Farmington catcher Valerie Woodyatt hit a solo to get the Scorps within 6-2.

Behind five hits, the Bengals plated six runs with Charlie’s two-run blast ending the contest in six innings.

Spencer said the three homers were the most they’ve made in one game this season.

“The most we had before that was two,” he said. “It’s good to have that, but I rather have the hitting with singles and doubles and that’s contagious. If you can do that your offense keeps rolling and rolling.”

Shortstop Katherine Lincoln led the Bengals with four hits, including two doubles and two RBIs. Haines and Becenti added three hits.

“I think we were more prepared for her,” Lincoln said of Farmington’s ace, Wilkie. “Last week and this past week we were just focusing on movement … and since we already faced her we knew what to expect.”

In four innings of work, Wilkie was tagged the loss as she gave up six runs on 10 hits while striking out 10 batters.

Relief pitcher Marianne Lee gave up six runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of work.

For Gallup, Haines went the distance and fanned nine Farmington batters while giving up two runs on four hits.

As for the doubleheader with Artesia, the Gallup coach said that game with the Lady Bulldogs has been circled on their calendar since the start of the season.

“That is huge for us,” he said. “We played them in the (state) championship game last year and we’ve seen what (RyLee Crandall) throws.

“Hopefully, we can make the adjustments,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for her since the start of the season.”

The first game in Artesia is at 1 p.m., followed by the second game at 3 p.m.

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