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Sutter High’s Jackie Sizemore slides safely into home as Live Oak catcher Chelsie Easton gathers up the ball during their Northern Section Div. IV semifinal at Sutter High on Thursday.
Ana Pimsler/Appeal-Democrat
Sutter High pitcher Jessica Moore
Ana Pimsler/Appeal-Democrat
Sutter thunders on
Moore is perfect in her ninth no-hitter
Even when she doesn't have her best stuff, Jessica Moore is perfect.
Moore, the Sutter High softball team's ace hurler, pitched a perfect game Thursday in the semifinals of the Northern Section Div. IV playoffs, striking out 16 and facing the minimum number of 21 batters in an 8-0 win over visiting Live Oak at Belza Field.
The Lions (12-12) failed to get the ball out of the infield against Moore, who upped her Section single-season record for shutouts to 18.
With the 16 strikeouts, Moore has 367 this year, five behind the all-time mark of Eileen Canney of Paradise, who went on to become the Big Ten pitcher of the year at Northwestern. Moore can break that mark in the title game at home Saturday against Wheatland.
"I just go out here and throw," Moore said, noting her riseball and curveball were working extremely well, as was her change-up.
As impressive as she was, Moore did find herself falling behind a few batters in the count, including one batter who had a 3-0 count before grounding out.
"The layoff hurt," Sutter coach Raoul Singh said, adding Moore did not have her best stuff that day.
Singh said the Huskies (34-2) had not played a game in two weeks, and it showed.
"We just didn't hit the ball as well as we have been. It took us a while to adjust to a slower pitcher," he added.
After coming up empty in the first two innings, the Huskies scored three runs in the third. Jackie Sizemore got aboard with a wind-aided single that fell in just past the shortstop's outstretched arm in center field. Samantha Sizemore then got aboard on an error that also allowed Jackie Sizemore to score.
Kaylee Paulicci followed with a line-drive base hit to left to score a run and Heidi McAllister's single to shallow right drove in the third.
Stutter broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. McAllister led off with a double to left-center, Chanell Thurman tripled to right-center to score her, Jolene Graham rolled a single up the middle for an RBI, Ashley Rovito doubled to left to score a run and Jackie Sizemore hit a ground-rule double that one-hopped the fence in left-center to drive in a run and make it 7-0.
It was at that point that the Lions removed starting pitcher Courtney Souza and brought in Teresa Montes in relief.
"I left our pitcher in there too long," Live Oak coach Brad Emery admitted.
Sutter scored its final run off an error.
"I'm very proud of my team," Emery said. "To take the No. 1 team in the (Section) to seven innings is a huge accomplishment for this team."
The Huskies finished with 11 hits. Moore went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. McAllister and Jackie Sizemore each was 2-for-3 with a double and Paulicci had two singles.
Contact sports reporter Richard Myers at 749-4714 or rmyers@appeal-democrat.com
