Lady Broncos collect three wins in tough stretch

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School softball team opened the Linda Crabtree Challenge in Farmington, NM on Thursday, March 20 with a 21-0 beatdown of East Mountain, NM. They left no doubt with an 11-run first inning, a six-spot in the second, and four runs in the third inning.
The Lady Broncos spread the love around, with five players driving in two runs apiece in the win: Jayden Benally, Morgann McPherson, Keegan Palmer, Khatira Keith, and Miley Harrison.
Elizabeth Palmer, Averie Gilson, and Danika Meyers also picked up one RBI each. Keegan Palmer was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day, and Elizabeth Palmer had three hits in four at bats. McPherson and Keith were both 2-for-3 in the game. Harrison and Gilson both hit one home run apiece.
Obviously the offense was front-and-center in the win, but junior pitcher Khatira Keith earned her first no-hitter of the season also, fanning six of the nine Lady Timberwolf batters she faced.
San Juan was unable to crack the win column on day two of the tournament, Friday, March 21, suffering a 5-2 loss to Kirtland Central, NM and a 7-6 loss to Miyamura, NM.
Keith had a two-hit game against Kirtland as she and Gilson combined to drive in the Lady Broncos’ two runs. Keith also struck out seven Kirtland batters on the mound.
It was a bit of a heartbreaker against Miyamura. The Lady Patriots scored four first-inning runs, but San Juan cut the lead to two with a two-run bottom of the third.
Miyamura got two runners across the plate in the top of the fifth to make the score 7-3. But Khatira Keith got the bottom of the inning started with a bang when she drove a two-run home run over the center field fence, getting San Juan within two runs again.
Elizabeth Palmer scored on a fielder’s choice, making the score 7-6. Then, when Keegan Palmer reached on a fielding error the Lady Broncos had the bases loaded with no outs and were poised for the win.
But Miyamura dug deep to earn three straight outs as pitcher Andrea Vinson earned a strikeout, fly out, and a fielder’s choice to close out the game.
Keith again led the way offensively with two hits in three at bats, including the homer and a double. She drove in three of San Juan’s six runs. Sadie Cosby was 2-for-3 in the game with two RBIs, and Averie Gilson was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
San Juan bounced back for a nice 17-2 win over Pojoaque Valley, NM to open play on Saturday, March 22. They scored four runs in the first, three in the third, and finished strong with a ten-run fourth.
Khatira Keith earned her second no-hitter, but the Lady Broncos committed five errors in the win that accounted for the two unearned Elkette runs.
Keith once again had a 2-for-3 game at the plate, driving in three San Juan runs. She hit a triple and a double in the win. Kheirra Keith and Sadie Cosby got two RBIs apiece, while Harrison and Colee Crofts drove in one each.
Since the win over Miyamura however, it has been a tough stretch for the Lady Broncos. They suffered an 8-6 loss to Aztec, NM to close out the Linda Crabtree Challenge on Saturday, March 22.
The girls battled Gunnison Valley, one of the top teams in Utah 2A softball, hard in Blanding on Tuesday, March 25 but suffered a doubleheader sweep in two close ones 11-10 and 10-8.
In game one San Juan trailed 11-3 heading into their last two at bats. They scored seven runs, but their rally came up just short. Averie Gilson had a three-hit, four-RBI game, including a three-run triple. McPherson drove in three runs in the tough loss.
In game two the Lady Broncos trailed 9-2 before they outscored the Lady Bulldogs 6-1 down the stretch. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and Gunnison Valley added one last run in the top of the seventh to add some punctuation to their victory. Keith was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs. Cosby was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
On Friday, March 28 the Lady Broncos traveled to Duchesne to face the tough Lady Eagles, suffering two lopsided losses 18-3 and 13-1.
To close out a very busy weekend the team headed to Richfield for a three-game tournament against 3A teams on Saturday, March 29.
In the first game of the day San Juan led Emery 3-1 after one inning, but the Lady Spartans took control with seven runs over the course of the next four. The Lady Broncos rallied to score five runs in their final two at bats, but Emery closed them out with a three-run top of the sixth in an 11-8 final.
Morgann McPherson had an impressive four-RBI game that included a three-run homer in the first inning. Madden Perkins was 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the loss.
Game two of the day against Carbon was a knock-down, drag-out affair that went the distance for a 14-12 final. Sadly San Juan was on the short end of that score once the dust settled.
The teams were tied 2-2 after one inning, and the Lady Broncos held a 5-4 lead at the end of two. The Lady Dinos activated for five runs in the bottom of the third, but San Juan answered with five of their own to retake a 10-9 lead in the top of the fourth.
San Juan got two more runners across the plate in the top of the fifth inning to stretch their lead to 12-9. Defensive struggles in the bottom of the inning were their downfall, however, as Carbon scored five runs and ended the game on a walk-off double.
Miley Harrison and Morgann McPherson both drove in three runs apiece for the Lady Broncos, while Perkins, Gilson, Meyers, and Khatira Keith all had one RBI apiece.
In the final game of the weekend San Juan used a strong sixth and seventh inning to break out of their seven-game skid, defeating the tournament host Richfield Lady Wildcats 11-8.
The Lady Broncos trailed 8-4 heading to the plate in the top of the sixth, but plated three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to earn the comeback win.
Miley Harrison was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Madden Perkins also drove in two runs. Averie Gilson had a three-hit day including a couple of doubles and drove in one run.
Crofts, Keegan Palmer, and Harmony Oshley all had one RBI apiece. Kheirra Keith got the win in a seven-inning complete game. She struck out five Richfield batters along the way.
The Lady Broncos are 5-13 overall and 1-4 in 2A North region play now, well past the midway point of the season and they’re gearing up for an important stretch of games in the next two weeks.
This week they’ll travel right back to Sevier County to take on North Sevier in a region doubleheader on Friday, April 4. Tuesday, April 8 they welcome the rival Grand County Lady Red Devils to Blanding for a region showdown.