Herriman picked up a solid Region 2 victory on the road on Thursday, defeating Bingham 19-7 on a windy afternoon.
The Miners started strong behind senior pitcher Brecka Larson, who struck out five and carried a no-hitter through two innings. In the bottom of the second, Jenna Thomas led off with a deep fly ball that looked destined for the fence, but the wind knocked it down for a double.
A few batters later, with Thomas on third, a foul pop-up near first base was hauled in at an awkward angle, giving her just enough time to tag up and score. Bingham added another run to take a 2-0 lead but left the bases loaded for the second straight inning.
From that point on, it was all Herriman.
Keira Rodriguez crushed a ball to deep center, setting the stage for Kinlee McDermaid, who followed with a towering shot over the right-field wall, evening the score in a flash.
“The hit before encouraged me. (Rodriguez) starting it off pushed me to do my job and get her in. I was able to get a hold of it. I saw it was high and inside — I’ve seen that pitch since I was a freshman — so I got my foot down and turned on it,” McDermaid said about her game-tying home run.
After a couple of walks and a pitching change, Jaylee Hansen delivered a two-run triple to put the Mustangs in front. They kept the momentum going in the fourth, adding five more runs to stretch their lead to seven.
Bingham turned back to Larson, who notched three more strikeouts in the inning, bringing her total to nine, but the damage was already done.
“You can’t leave people on base. Mentally, I was thinking that I had to get my teammates in to take this lead. I was able to just keep it going,” Hansen said, reflecting on the importance of taking the lead in the third inning.
Bingham’s attempt at a comeback in the fourth inning fell short. They managed to add two runs, but passive base running, along with some key outs from Sierra Prescott, halted their momentum. Once again, the Miners left the bases loaded, unable to capitalize.
Over the final three innings, the Mustangs tacked on another 10 runs, while Bingham managed just three in the last frame.
However, it was Herriman’s pitchers who shut down a relentless Miner offense. Ashlyn Beratto earned the win, pitching three solid innings before Sierra Prescott came in to close it out. In the final four innings, Prescott dominated, recording six strikeouts and allowing just one walk.
“It was a team effort — we had a lot of RBIs and needed some sacrifice bunts, but it was a total team effort. The pitchers did a great job today; they locked in, forced ground balls, and did everything we needed to pick up the win,” Herriman coach Heidi McKissick said, reflecting on the victory as the team heads into a 10-day break in the schedule.
She added, “This win gives us a ton of confidence as we continue in our tough region.”
Herriman will return to action on April 9 when they host West Field, while Bingham’s next game will be a visit to Riverton on April 8.