Colusa rolls East Nicolaus

There's something so cheery about how Tiffany Friel mows down batters, something so flowery about her game-controlling dominance. The smiles, the endless compliments, the exuberance.

"Good job, kid ... no worries ... that's OK ...," she'll say from the circle. "Hey ladies, don't worry about the runner."

All upbeat, all the time, in yet another example of how valuable the Colusa High softball pitcher is to her team's lofty aspirations. Friel struck out 13 and the Redskins rolled to a 7-0 road victory over East Nicolaus on Thursday.

"I love it, I love it," she said. "It's a fun game."

A senior, this is Friel's last chance to lead the Redskins to the Northern Section Division V title. It's a task she reminds herself of constantly; all the chatter about career strikeout records and the like are ancillary. With the rapid-fire style of which she pitches, she'll quickly recite the team's goals:

• Win 30 games.

• Dominate league

• Take the section title

As of today, they're 29-2-1, 9-0 in Sacramento Valley League play and scorching toward the postseason — just like coach Randy Watt envisioned. He's the one who conjured up those standards and imposed them on his players long before Friel threw her season-opening pitch.

But also mixed in there are little bonuses, like a victory over the Spartans on their field. That hasn't happened for Watt in his long tenure, but with Friel on the mound and a big fourth inning, it manifested with no tense moments. The closest East Nicolaus came to plating a run was in the second inning after a runner reached third following a passed ball.

Friel's recourse: Smile, say something nice to her catcher, end the inning with a strikeout.

East Nicolaus wasn't completely outgunned, though. The Spartans are 5-0 the Mid Valley League in large part to the play of pitcher Amanda Taylor, a sophomore whose upside continues to grow.

Her lone hiccup was the fourth inning, but it was aided by a call that had East Nicolaus fans unhappy. With the bases loaded, Friel laid down a bunt, tossed her bat and charged toward first. The ball hit her bat, Spartans coach Doug Cater contested, though no call was made to that effect. Cater then argued that EN's catcher made the force play at home to get the lead runner.

It wasn't ruled that way, and the game's first run scored with one out. Next came a three-RBI double from Ashleigh Biggs that gave Colusa an impenetrable buffer.

"I felt that iced the game for us," said Watt, who coached third base as his team scored five times in the frame.

Biggs was 2 for 3 with a walk and leadoff hitter Rylee Kampf drew a pair of walks and scored two runs. No. 8 hitter Taylor Herrick went 2 for 4 with an RBI double for the Redskins, who only needed one to support their jovial right hander.

"Yeah, I'm happy person, I love it," Friel said. "Yeah, I smile all the time, it's a habit."