Moore sinks Pirates

If it was a statement they were after, mission completed.

Jessica Moore was dominant from the circle, the entire Sutter team was dominant from the plate and the Huskies rolled their Butte View League rival 10-0 in six innings at home on Tuesday.

A 7-0 tournament victory over Wheatland earlier this season apparently didn't satisfy the Sutter softball team — the Huskies wanted this one.

"They wanted it really bad," said Sutter coach Raoul Singh. "They wanted to make a statement today."

Moore certainly did her part. She was just two batters away from tossing a perfect game.

The state strikeout leader fanned 14 batters, walked one and allowed just one hit through six complete innings. Moore has struck out 298 batters this season, a staggering 15.8 strikeouts for every seven innings.

"She's such a good pitcher, and it's tough to simulate because we don't face anyone like her anywhere else," Wheatland coach Jim Vossler said about Moore. "We were a little bit beat up today, but they're a good team. Their top two players in the lineup scored seven runs alone on us. So they did their job today."

Courtney Gravel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored three runs, while Moore helped her own cause by going 3-for-4 with a triple and scoring four runs.

In a nutshell, Moore had no problem rounding up run support.

Every Sutter batter recorded a hit, including Chanell Thurman, who also went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a standing triple that bounced off the fence in left-center field.

"They played a tremendous game," Singh said. "We have a well-meshed team. We have players who can play small ball, long ball, we have base hitters, and as long as they play like this, they'll continue to have a great year."

With the win, Sutter improved to 30-2 overall and 4-0 in league, while Wheatland slipped to 10-9 and 3-1.

The Huskies worked the counts early on and then soon after jumped on Wheatland pitcher Rachel Silva to pick up two runs in the first inning and two more in the second.

To begin the game, the first four batters either fell back or fought their way back to a full count — and all four of those batters reached base.

With the bases loaded, Thurman knocked in Gravel with a solid hit to left field and then Ashley Rovito (2-for-3) hit a line drive to center field to bring in Moore.

The second inning mirrored the first after Gravel got on with a base hit to center field, Moore reached n an infield single and Thurman hit one through the gap to left field.

Two runs would score on a Jolene Graham single to right field. The ball was bobbled and both Gravel and Moore touched home.

Graham and Jackie Sizemore each went 2-for-4 on the day. Sizemore also scored two runs.

Sutter would score three more runs in the third inning before posting their only scoreless inning in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Moore single handily dominated Wheatland.

The junior struck out the side in the second, third and sixth innings, including a perfect nine pitches that would set down the side in order in the third inning.

Moore and Thurman blasted a couple of triples to put another run on the board in the fifth inning, before Sutter finally ended the game with three consecutive singles in the sixth by Rovito, Sizemore and Samantha Sizemore.

Wheatland's only hit came from Chylsi Coker in the fifth inning.