It was evident that it was sophomore day at John L. Harvey Field on Saturday.
Western Nevada College sophomores were the honorees for their final regular-season home games, and they, in turn, figured mightily in a Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader sweep of College of Southern Nevada.
Sophomore Bobby Pappin's first home run of the season rallied the Wildcats to an 8-4 victory in the first game, and sophomore catcher Neil Lawhorn smashed a towering solo homer in the sixth for the only run as sophomore Brandon Jackson led WNC to a 1-0 second-game victory.
"We just took the games by the horns, and we wanted to take control since it was our last day at this field," Pappin said.
"We just wanted to go out with a bang."
Lawhorn's game-winning blast made some fans think of the shots Bryce Harper used to hit while wearing a CSN uniform.
"By far my longest," Lawhorn, who now has five bombs on the season. "I wasn't really thinking about (a homer). I was more into the game of putting up zeroes for B.J."
Jackson (5-1) tossed a four-hit shutout and threw a complete game.
WNC picked up a game on conference-leading Salt Lake, improving to 36-11 overall and 25-6 in the SWAC. CSN dropped to 29-19 and 16-16. Salt Lake, which split a twin bill with College of Southern Idaho, is 25-4 with eight games remaining.
In the opener, the Coyotes took a 4-3 lead on Jordan Van Hoosier's home run to left.
But the Wildcats had an immediate answer. Taylor Smart started the bottom of the fifth inning with a double over Sean McCracken's head in left. A sliding catch by McCracken, however, prevented Derrick Pitts from reaching base. Baker hit Hendrix with a pitch, setting the table for Pappin's game-turning home run to right.
"I thought it was going to come a lot sooner," said Pappin of his first roundtripper, which came on a 2-0 fastball.
"I didn't know when it was or how it was going to happen, but I couldn't be happier about it."
In the second game, starting pitchers Jackson and A.J. Daley locked up in a scoreless duel. Both starters commanded the strike zone and fooled the fastball-seeking hitters with off-speed pitches.
"I just tried to work off my fastball and let my change-up work a lot, and I think that got them on the front foot a little bit," said Jackson, who retired nine Coyotes on ground balls.
Corey Welch's double to lead off the fifth was only the third hit of the game. But Jackson buckled down, retiring the next three hitters, including two on strikes.
Lawhorn began his game-winning at-bat by trying to bunt his way on base.
His bunt in front of the plate was called a foul ball, drawing disdain from the Coyotes' dugout. Lawhorn said his bunt attempt was called foul because it made contact with his bat twice in the batter's box.
"I was trying to find any way possible to get on base," Lawhorn said. "I felt I had an opportunity to get on with a bunt, then after two curveballs that they threw me, I was sitting fastball and got it.
"I just felt great, and with my mom here, it was just amazing."
The Coyotes caused some anxiety in the top of the seventh as Stotts led off with a walk and went to second base on Weissberg's two-out single to left.
But Jackson coaxed one final ground ball out of the Coyotes to complete his masterful performance.
PREP BASEBALL
Lassen tops Carson
LASSEN, Calif. - Carson was out-hit 10-8 and made five errors in a non-league loss to Lassen on Saturday.
Carson grabbed an early 3-1 lead on the strength of two run-scoring hits by Luke Maher and a sacrifice fly by Chase Blueberg.
Lassen scored four times in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good, 5-3.
Nick Domitrovich, Krupp and Maher all had two hits apiece.
SWIMMING
Douglas sweeps Senators
MINDEN - Douglas High's swim team swept Carson in a High Desert League meet at the Carson Valley Swim Center on Saturday.
The Douglas boys won, 165-112, and the DHS girls knocked off Carson, 171-105. Galena also participated in the meet against Douglas.
The results listed below are just Carson vs. Douglas results, not overall outcomes.
Meagan Skilling, Clara Gray and Mary Smithen all had two wins for the Tigers in the head-to-head battle against Carson. Skilling won the 200 IM (2:16.81) and the 100 butterfly (1:01.68). Gray won the 500 free (5:45.60) and the 100 free (58.50). Smithen won the 100 back (1:02.93) and the 50 free (24.94). On the boys side for Douglas, Kyle Johnston won the 200 free (1:49.25) and the 500 free (5:04.10) while Tim Smithen won the 100 back (59.53).
Tim Grunert won the 100 breast (1:04.85) and the 200 IM (2:09.68), while Zach White took the 100 free (55.09). Cory Gentner took the 50 free (26.97). Charlee Bradley won the 100 breast with a 1:21.06, which was third overall for the day.
SOFTBALL
WNC gets swept by Snow
EPHRAM, UTAH - Snow College swept Western Nevada for the second straight day on Saturday afternoon in a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader.
Snow won the opener, 8-0, and took the nightcap, 8-5.
"We started off the same way we did yesterday," said assistant coach Rosie Contri, who ran the team in the absence of head coach Leah Wentworth, who is pregnant and unable to travel the rest of the year. "We came out hard in the second game and led 4-0 until they had a big inning in the fourth and tied it. We have to learn how to finish a game."
The Wildcats managed just two hits in the opener, one each by Jenny Quam and Niki DiSera.
WNC had leads of 4-0 and 5-4 in the second game, but both slipped away. Snow scored four in the bottom of the sixth to grab the win.
Melanie Pfeiffer, DiSera and Katirina Rand all had two hits in the losing effort. Quam, Taleas Marble, Jordan Thomas and Courtney Lange added one each.
PREP SOFTBALL
Douglas sweeps NV
MINDEN - Douglas got over the .500 mark in Northern 4A play with a sweep of North Valleys, 3-1 and 10-9.
Douglas is 7-6 in league and 10-13 overall.
Kalee Duryee scattered six hits in the opener, and she got some nice offensive support from Katie Kluever, who drove in two runs.
In the second game, North Valleys led Douglas, 8-7, entering the bottom of the sixth. Kelly Sonnemann drove in two runs with a single and scored on a single by Duryee for a 10-8 lead. North Valleys scored once in the seventh.
Illiana Brown homered in the second game for Douglas.
