Honkers end 15-game skid against RedHawks

Sam Brott pitched her best game of the year and carried Willows High into a first-place tie atop the Sacramento Valley League standings with a 4-0 victory Wednesday against Colusa, snapping a 15-game losing streak to the RedHawks.

The victory not only ended a nearly five year drought — the last Honker victory was on May 1, 2007 — it gave the Honkers a chance at earning at least a share of the SVL title. Colusa and Willows are now tied with 5-1 records in league, two games ahead of third-place Trinity.

RedHawks pitcher Sophia Garcia matched Brott through the first five innings before the Honkers pushed four runs across the plate without getting the ball out of the infield in the sixth.

Megan Hughes led off the sixth with a walk and the Honkers loaded the bases with one out after a walk to Courtney Dicharry and an intentional walk to Nichole Thayer. Maira Jaramillo chopped a base-loaded grounder to third base but the throw home sailed wide, scoring Hughes and Dicharry.

Brott laid down a bunt and the RedHawks defense once again failed to get an out and two more runs scored after an error.

Colusa was unable to match the four-run outburst as Brott limited the home team to just two hits - a hard-hit double by Colusa catcher Brittanee Garcia in the first inning and a seeing-eye single through the right side by first baseman Coral Imhoff in the fifth.

"I've been working a lot harder and pitching every day, we really wanted to win so we put in the extra effort," Brott said.

In the first meeting between the two teams, Colusa collected 14 hits and led 8-2 early before the Honkers rallied back with five runs in the final two innings.

Willows is now riding a five-game win streak and team is playing better than it has all season, Brott said.

"We've had more intense practices, we really got our head into the game and played our hardest.

While the Honkers entered the game focused and motivated, Colusa coach Randy Watt said his team might have been a little over-confident after hitting so well in the first meeting.

Brott kept the RedHawks under control by pounding the inside corner for early strikes and effectively throwing outside, Watt said.

The pitching wasn't the only thing Willows did well; Thayer made several great defensive plays at third base, Rylee Smith stole a few hits out in right field and Hughes played solid defense at shortstop, Watt said.

Brott earned the shutout win and finished the game with four strikeouts and two walks.

Garcia pitched well for Colusa in the defeat, allowing four runs (two earned) in seven innings while striking out six and allowing five hits.

The league championship will come down to the final four games of the season for both teams and anything can happen, Watt said.

"I don't see anyone in the league that's going to beat them and I don't know if we have anybody left that's going to beat us," Watt said. "But I didn't think Durham would beat us in our tournament and they did."

The Honkers (9-11, 5-1 SVL) have two games left against both Durham and Trinity, while Colusa (10-6-1, 5-1 SVL) has a doubleheader against Trinity and games against Live Oak and Durham.

CONTACT Kirk Barron at 458-2121 or kbarron@tcnpress.com.