If the Enchantment Little League softball Minors all-star team could have chosen the difficulty level for its first-round state tourney opponent, ELL might have chosen a "medium" setting to open the tournament it's hosting.

Saturday's 16-1 thrashing of Las Vegas Little League in Enchantment's tourney opener didn't seem to prepare the host team for Sunday's opponent, Eastdale, a team more suited to the "difficult" setting.

While Enchantment battled hard Sunday and turned a near-mercy-rule outing into a marathon, full-length game, the hosts still ended up in an elimination game by falling 16-8 to Eastdale. That put Enchantment in a game against Mile High, set for late Tuesday after News-Bulletin press time, with the winner playing Eastdale on Wednesday at 6 p.m. with the chance to force a Thursday "if" game.

Eastdale 16,
Enchantment 8

Sunday, a five-run Enchantment fourth inning, highlighted by five walks and Enchantment's first hit of the game, kept Eastdale from winning by mercy rule, as the host ELL Minors forced their speedy, aggressive opponents to go the distance.

"They're very disciplined, and that makes a difference," said Eastdale manager Reno Sanchez, whose storied league has produced the likes of stars like James Parr, Jordan Pacheco, Zach Arnett and Matt Quillen. "Enchantment's got a very good team."

A rematch between the teams might go differently if Enchantment gets off to a better start. The first four Eastdale hitters of the game reached base against Enchantment pitcher Alexis Vigil, and a two-run home run by Eastdale's Ariana Strunk capped a five-run frame.

Eastdale scored three more runs in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth to lead 11-0. Enchantment couldn't score initially against Eastdale pitcher Shannon Stein, as the hosts loaded the bases on walks in the first inning, but wouldn't score then.

Enchantment got a runner on in the second and again in the third, but wouldn't score until the fourth. Mental errors cost Enchantment on offense and defense, and the aggressiveness of Eastdale seemed like it would make it a short game. But Stein walked 15 batters in the 2 and 1/2 hour game, and Enchantment finally cashed in during their wild five-run fourth.

DeAndria Gallegos led off with a walk, and Ashley Young reached on a throwing error by Stein. Megan Baca reached on a fielder's choice, with Gallegos being tagged out at home, but Janessa Otero made the score 11-1 by driving in Young with Enchantment's first base hit of the game.

Walks to Ariana Gutierrez, Miranda Jaramillo, Vigil and Gallegos led to four more runs that erased the mercy-rule possibility and enlivened the Enchantment crowd.

Vigil helped hold Eastdale to a single run in the fifth inning before giving up three hits and four runs in the sixth. Sanchez praised Vigil's heroic efforts, which included an infield hit in the sixth and scoring one of her team's three runs of that frame.

"She's great," said the Eastdale manager. "She really hits her spots."

Enchantment manager Dennis Gallegos knew the rough start was a factor. He was not only confident the Minors would make it to the championship round, but also that his team can compete with Eastdale. "We'll be in the championship round," Gallegos predicted. "And we can beat them (Eastdale). I'm going to figure some things out."

-Jason W. Brooks

Enchantment 16,
Las Vegas 1 (5 inn.)

Saturday, the District 4 champions were no match for the hard-hitting Enchantment team in a nine-run, marathon fifth inning. Five ELL batters reached base on walks, and three more reached after being hit by pitches.

The contest started evenly enough, with a 1-1 score at the end of the second inning, where Las Vegas' only run came in on a series of errors by Enchantment.

Pitcher Kielee Kinghorn, whose stoic face and series of "preparations" including cracking her neck, might have intimidated Las Vegas batters. The Enchantment pitcher gave up only one hit and struck out 10 batters, giving her teammates a lot less work to do in the way of defense.

It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, as Enchantment's batters came to the plate strong. They used their hitting in the third inning, as big hits by Kinghorn and Alexis Vigil helped ELL score three runs.

A line-drive double by Michaela Kittredge started the fourth inning to help propel Enchantment to a 7-1 lead going into the top of the fifth.

Vigil led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double and came home on a Megan Baca single. A strong hit by Janessa Otero, coupled with a fielding error, brought home two more runs before the first out was even made.

Las Vegas gave it one last shot at their last at-bat, but were unable to contend with Kinghorn's accuracy, striking out the first batter, and the infield's speed and agility showed as they swiftly made the last two outs of the game with only one batter reaching base.

The overcast day led to a short bout of light rain in the later innings, but Enchantment stayed focused and never seemed fazed. It was more of a welcome relief from the heat of early July's district tournaments than a deterrent to their tourney-opening blowout.

-Tiffini Porter