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San Manuel Miners
The San Manuel softball team extended its season-opening winning streak to four games, shutting out state-title contender Ray 7 – 0 last Thursday.
Senior Lyana Waddell pitched a complete-game shutout to earn her third win of the year without a loss. She also had two hits, including her first homerun of the season, and drove in three runs.
Waddell, a Western New Mexico University commit, surrendered only four hits and a walk with six strikeouts against the Lady Cats.
Three Lady Miners, in addition to Waddell, had two hits each in the game, including Nicole Encinas, Dionne Ruiz, and Angela Navarro. Nikki Baldenegro and Mariah McBride each had one hit, both hitting doubles.
San Manuel scored two runs in each of the second, third, and fifth innings before tacking a lone run in the seventh.
Upcoming schedule: The following games are all part of the Salt River – Chandler Prep Softball Classic: Mar. 17 vs. Chinle (5 p.m.), Mar. 17 vs. Walden Grove (7 p.m.), and Mar. 18 vs. Paradise Honors (9 a.m.). All games will take place at Salt River High School.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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