NPA Softball beats Phoenix Christian, 15-1. Sophomore Kiana Butler threw her 10 K in her fifth inning pic.twitter.com/Z9qAvXBgKe

— Eric Newman (@enewmanwrites) April 7, 2023

With the win, the No. 9 Spartans improved their record to 6-1, becoming the only undefeated team to play in the 2A Central region, and surpassing the No. 14 Cougars, who entered the contest with a 3-0 record in the region. I broke it. .

The Spartans have won all six of their 2A conference competitions by mercy rule. But Thursday’s result against a solid team felt even more meaningful.

“He was the best pitcher I ever played against. I think it was the best result for the team,” said senior Vera Girlanda.

Girlanda went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. She was just one of many players who stood out offensively. Sophomore Audrey Wilson had two RBIs and two runs and she went 2-for-4. Dakota Lakin had 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, and 2 steals in which he had 4 for 2. Senior Leanan Butler went 1-for-1 in RBI, drawing two walks and scoring three runs.

Sophomore Kiana Butler was effective on both sides, going 3-for-3 at bat with an RBI. She also pitched all five innings, giving up two hits, two walks and one run while striking out 10 batters.

It was special to win against tough regional opponents while celebrating the first home game of the season in over a month as we head into a snowy spring in February and March.

“The girls are trying a little bit to come out here and I’m very happy to have played well today,” said manager Betty Dean.

“It was very exciting,” added Giurlanda. “At first, I was excited about the game, but when I actually went out on the field in my home dugout and was actually on the field at home, it reminded me of so many things. I didn’t, but being here today made things much better.”

The Spartans got off to a good start, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The first six Northland prep hitters to step into the box reached the base of the frame. His Giurlanda in third placed his shot long over the left field glove. The ball bounced and hit the fence, but she made it home for a home run inside the park.

“I was already second when she missed it. It felt like I hit a home run out of the plate, and once I saw it, it seemed like a given,” Girlanda said.

The Spartans scored again in the second inning, but came out hot in the third.

Freshman Lauren Freight scored on a wild pitch to extend the Northland Prep lead to 6-1. With two outs in the innings, the Spartans added nine more runs.

Hitting with two outs on the board in a row was impressive for Dean.

“We’re talking about forgetting about our number of outs and doing the right thing every at-bat. They pressed in the second inning and didn’t get the results we wanted. But they didn’t do well in the third round,” Dean said.

The Spartans didn’t score again in the bottom of the fourth, but Kiana Butler finished the game strong by closing out the top of the fifth with three straight outs.

Having postponed several games earlier in the season due to weather, Northland Prep has a busy schedule looming. In 14 days, he will play seven games, with his home contest against No. 34 Highland Prep starting Monday.

The team believes Thursday’s win could be the spark that gives the Spartans another regional title and a chance for a top 8 seed in the 2A conference playoffs.

“I have a lot of hope and I think we can do something big for the state this year,” said Giurland.