INMAN — Sterling's Blaine Locke drilled a trio of homers and drove home five runs to spark the Black Bears past Ellinwood 20-13 in Monday's 2-1A softball regional.
Ellinwood's Shyria Quintana led the Eagles with a homer, double, single and five runs batted home. Levi Miller drove home four runs.
Sterling (9-16) led 7-0 and closed with nine runs in the final two innings. Mily Rincon, Miller and Danica Zimmerman drove home runs in a 5-run first frame. Locke hit 2-run second inning homer and a fourth-inning homer.
Eagle Anna Hahn singled in Ali Gonzalez in the second frame. Quintana and Makynna Bryant scored on Jenaveve Franco's third-inning single for a 7-3 score.
Locke's third homer made it 8-3. Quintana's double scored Bennett Jacobs and Kennedy Behnke for an 8-5 score. Sterling shortstop Locke turned a Gonzalez fourth-inning line drive into a double play with the bases-loaded for the game's key play.
Jacobs and Behnke scored on Bryant's 2-run single for an 11-8 score. The Black Bears outscored the Eagles 9-5 in the final innings. Gonzalez scored on Anna Hahn's single. Quintana's 2-run homer was followed by Bryant scoring on an error and Gonzalez scoring on a passed ball.
Sterling 520 137 2 — 20 22 4
Ellinwood 012 231 4 — 13 9 5
Olsen and Miller. Jacobs and Hahn. W—Olsen, 7-5. L—Jacobs, 12-15. 2B—S—Quintana; I—Miller 2, Surface. 3B—S—Boeken, Miller. HR—E—Quintana; S—Locke 3.