Greeley – Ally Goniea has received what seems like countless offerings from Kendra Zornacki.
Goniea, who graduated from Falcon, has served as catcher for Zornacki (a recent graduate of Pine Creek) during dozens of games in summer play.
So when they found themselves on opposite sides Wednesday in the softball game that kicked off the 51st annual All-State Games for seniors at the University of Northern Colorado, it shouldn’t be surprising that Goniea homered off Zornacki.
Her three-run blast in the third inning all but cemented the South’s 9-0 win over the North in a game that incorporated college pitching distance (43 feet instead of preps’ 40), added an extra inning (eight), used all players in the batting order and permitted participants to substitute positions freely.
“It’s easier to hit off a pitcher you catch all summer, so, yes, I knew what she had,” Goniea said. “It’s kind of cheating, in a way.”
Goniea’s homer, to left-center field, was one of the 12 hits for the South, which dominated the game. Ivory Allen (Thomas Jefferson) had three hits and scored twice; and Dani Finkelstein (Windsor) and Ashley Campbell (Limon) added two hits and an RBI apiece.
Every South player but one reached base at least once.
The North managed only five hits – two each by Ashli Holland (Pomona) and Caitlin Jenks (Ralston Valley) – in a one-sided result, but every participant will play in college and all had fun, including the coaches.
“When you have the kind of players we have here, you don’t manage, you just let them play ball,” said Wes Madrill, the Pueblo South coach who headed the South squad. “It went by so fast (1 hour, 28 minutes), the girls couldn’t believe it was over.”
“It’s always fun to play,” said Goniea, who will play at Otero Junior College and major in sports medicine. “I know what it’s like to be hurt and when you want to get back into it. Maybe I can help that process.”
Wednesday was just the beginning. Saturday will cap the festivities, sponsored by the Colorado High School Coaches Association and Northern Colorado Sports Commission, with contests in football (10:30 a.m.), wrestling (1:30 p.m.), volleyball (4 p.m.), girls basketball (6:30 p.m.) and boys basketball (8:30 p.m.), the last hurrah for the 2007 high-school athletes.
North 000 000 00 – 0 5 2
South 033 110 1x – 9 12 2
North – Holland (Pomona) 2b 3-0-2-0, Kane (Rampart) lf 3-0-0-0, Voci (Widefield) cf 3-0-0-0, Larson (Wheat Ridge) 1b 3-0-0-0, Hamilton (Pomona) ss 3-0-0-0, Jenks (Ralston Valley) 3b-p 3-0-2-0, Potock (Alexander Dawson) c 1-0-1-0, Zornacki (Pine Creek) p 2-0-0-0, Hathaway (Liberty) DH 3-0-0-0, Bobb (George Washington) rf 3-0-0-0, Foltz (Widefield) DH 3-0-0-0. Totals 30-0-5-0.
South – Allen (Thomas Jefferson) 2b 4-2-3-1, Martinez (Pueblo South) 3b 3-0-0-0, Finkelstein (Windsor) ss 4-1-2-1, Goniea (Falcon) c 3-1-1-3, Holley (Mullen) p 3-0-1-0, Lujan (Pueblo County) c 3-1-1-0, Campbell (Limon) p 3-2-2-1, Baumberger (Holy Family) DH-P 3-0-0-0, Rademacher (Frederick) DH 3-0-1-1, James (Pueblo South) DH 2-2-1-1, Bradford (Pueblo West) DH 3-0-0-0. Totals 34-9-12-8.
E – Martinez, Potock, Allen, Hathaway. LOB – North 9, South 5. SB – Holland. Caught stealing – Holland. 2B – Holley, Jenks, Potock. 3B – Rademacher, James. HR – Goniea, two on in third. Batteries – Zornacki, Jenks (5) and Potock, Bobb (5); Holley, Baumberger (5) and Goniea, Lujan (5). W – Holley. L – Zornacki. WP – Zornacki, Jenks. Baumberger. HBP – James (by Jenks). T – 1:28.
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
