Green senior pitching ace Kayli Gatts started for the Lady Bulldogs against Highland on Monday, and for the fifth time this season, opposing offenses could muster no runs and put up zeros across the board.

Gatts improved Green’s record to 12-2 by defeating the Highland Hornets 5-0, pushing her own record to 10-2. Gatts’ supremacy is becoming a common sight around Green. 

“She’s been terrific all year for us,” commented Green Head Coach Brian Tharp. “When she goes, we go. It’s that simple.”

Gatts was dominant throughout, totaling 11 strike-outs while allowing just four hits. Gatts made pitches when she needed to and closed the door on any Highland scoring opportunity.

In the third inning, Highland mustered two hits to put a runner in scoring position with only one out. Gatts would throw eight pitches to strike out Highlands’s top two hitters in their lineup.

In the fifth, the Hornets advanced their first and only runner to third base, after an error and a stolen base by Highland junior Andrea Sammon. Once again, a Gatts strike-out ended the inning.

Gatts would “K” two straight batters, never giving Justik a chance to round third and head for home. Gatts’ prolific day was due to her ability to use the fastball to set up hitters, then send them swinging two feet ahead of the pitch when throwing her changeup. That two pitch combo has forced hitters to stay back an extra second or two, making sure they didn't take advantage of just one speed.

“That [changeup] comes from years and years of practice,” commented Tharp. “The changeup is the best pitch in softball, but a good changeup is also the most difficult to throw. She’s shown a lot of dedication to the sport and it’s paying off.”

After two singles by Jeanine Brant and Leann Ciocca, junior Tiffany Henley sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Sophomore Sarah Woody slapped a groundball to second base, scoring the go-ahead run.

“That’s our game – we play a short game,” commented Tharp. “We’ve always been that way. We play with speed and move runners over.”

That would be all the offense Gatts would need, but she thought better of that.

Gatts sent a deep drive to right-center field, clearing the wall for a home run and giving Green a three run lead. Even though that may not be Green’s usual way of scoring runs, Gatts proved she can do it all on this day.

The Bulldogs drove in two more runs by way of Ciocca, who with two outs had struck out, but not before a time out had been called by the second base umpire. Given new life, Ciocca shot one past second base to give Green even more cushion.