THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Central High School Athletics

With some timely hitting and a solid effort in the circle, the Central High School softball team picked up its second straight Southwestern League victory Tuesday night. Kelty Key pitched a complete game five-hitter to lead the Warriors past Fruita Monument 12-1 in six innings at Bergman Field. Leading 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Central scored four runs with two outs to end the game. "We had kind of a tough time on the road but we still did pretty good," Key said. "We needed to get a big win tonight so we can get a confidence boost." Central (9-4, 2-0 SWL) went 3-2 on a recent road trip to the Front Range. The Warriors fell behind 1-0 after the first inning but then the offense caught fire. The Warriors took leads of 3-1 after two innings, 5-1 after three and 8-1 after four innings. Central then ended the game with the four-run sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Mikayla Sturns ripped a long double off the left-center field fence to score one run. Then, with the bases loaded, sophomore Mya Murdock laced a line drive off the center-field fence for a bases-clearing double to end the game. After giving up one run on two hits and a hit batter in the first, Key settled in to shut down the Wildcats the rest of the way. The senior walked two and struck out two. The Wildcats threatened with runners on second and third in the top of the fifth, but Key got the final out on a ground ball to first. Sturns had two doubles and three RBI and leadoff hitter Murdock had two hits and three RBI. Myah Arrieta also had a good game for the Warriors with an RBI, two hits and a stolen base. Seven different Central runners scored in the win. Fruita Monument (5-8, 2-1 SWL) kept the Warriors from scoring in the fifth, thanks to Katie Sparks. The shortstop made an athletic play, tracking down a pop fly into shallow center field. Central senior Aislyn Sharp, a transfer from Spanish Fork, Utah, who had an RBI on a sacrifice fly, said it's always good to beat a rival. "We needed to come out and get a good win against a rival team. We wanted to come out strong and play good," she said. Key said the early losses weren't a bad thing. "I think it's like a reality check for us because we're like 'We're going to run everyone over' but we still need to focus on the game we're in and not be looking ahead," she said. Central coach Scott Else likes how the Warriors are playing. "I think we're in a good spot right now," he said. "I think we're pretty solid in all nine positions."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Central High School Athletics

KEY'S COMPLETE GAME CARRIES CENTRAL PAST FRUITA

DALE SHRULL

The Daily Sentinel | 9/13/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Gretel Daugherty