Greenwood Village – While warming up before the showdown with rival Cherry Creek, Mullen pitcher Bianca Holley wondered if she was getting enough zing on the ball. Once she took to the pitcher’s circle, the question was answered.
Holley struck out nine batters and scattered three singles in the Mustangs’ 2-0 victory over the Bruins on Wednesday in a cross-classification Centennial League game at Village Greens Park.
“I didn’t feel like I was throwing hard in warm-ups. I had a kink and I couldn’t get loose, but it ended up working fine,” Holley said.
Mullen, the Class 4A state runner-up a year ago and fresh off a first-place finish in the competitive Don McCall tournament, stayed perfect this season with a 9-0 overall record, 4-0 in Centennial. The 5A Bruins’ first loss dropped their record to 4-1, 4-1.
With Holley and Cherry Creek’s Kelli Henderson throwing, this game was expected to be a pitchers duel and it was. Henderson finished with 10 strikeouts and gave up just two hits, but one of those hits did all the damage.
It started in the top of the first inning, when Mullen’s leadoff batter Lauren Duran got plunked by Henderson and went to first base.
“I didn’t mean to hit (Duran) because I played with her last summer. I actually felt really bad,” Henderson said.
Vanessa Anglada laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Duran, and Nikki Haberkorn walked to set up the big hit.
Holley came up to the plate and ripped a two-strike double down (and possibly outside of) the third-base line. Duran scored easily and Haberkorn came all the way around from first to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead that would hold the rest of the way.
“We knew it. We knew it was going to be a game like that,” Mullen coach Tony Lopez said of the battle between the pitchers.
Mullen’s only other hit would come in the top of the fifth, when Sarah Schaefer recorded a single.
Cherry Creek fell victim to close calls and missed opportunities. The Bruins stranded four baserunners, had a runner thrown out trying to steal second and lined out to Haberkorn at first base, who doubled up the runner. Henderson, Sami Springer and Erin Keeth notched the Bruins’ hits.
“We were a little disappointed in our hitting and our execution, especially when we had runners in scoring position,” Cherry Creek coach John Gallagher said. “They are good club and we’ll see them again in a couple of weeks.”
The Bruins will get a rematch Sept. 20 as the regular season winds down.
Mullen 200 000 0 – 2 2 0
Cherry Creek 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
Mullen – Duran 2b 2-1-0-0, Anglada rf 2-0-0-0, Haberkorn 1b 2-1-0-0, Holley p 3-0-1-2, Perea 3b 3-0-0-0, Martinez ss 3-0-0-0, Hernandez c 2-0-0-0, Schaefer cf 2-0-1-0, Beston dh 1-0-0-0, McMorris dh 1-0-0-0. Totals 21-2-2-2.
Cherry Creek – Henderson p 2-0-1-0, Lastrapes ss 1-0-0-0, Springer c 3-0-1-0, Keeth 3b 3-0-1-0, Baron dh 3-0-0-0, Wagner 1b 2-0-0-0, Leonard 2b 3-0-0-0, Cramer cf 2-0-0-0, Chaffin rf 2-0-0-0, Minser dh 1-0-0-0. Totals 22-0-3-0.
E – Keeth. LOB – Mullen 1; Cherry Creek 4. 2B – Holley. SB – Haberkorn; Wagner. CS – Martinez; Henderson. DP – Mullen. SAC – Anglada, Beston. Batteries – Holley and Hernandez; Henderson and Springer. W – Holley (8-0). L – Henderson (3-1). WP – Henderson 2. PB – Hernandez. HBP – Duran, M, by Henderson; Wagner, CC, by Holley. T – 1:27.
