Boyce makes early runs stand up for Durango softball

Dallas Boyce has pitched almost every inning for Durango’s softball team this season.

It would be hard to dispute that some of her best work of the year came on Saturday.

Boyce spun a six-hitter, striking out six and allowing only an unearned run, to lead the Trailblazers to a 3-1 home win over Desert Oasis.

Boyce did walk two and hit two batters, but she was at her best when the Diamondbacks had runners on base.

Desert Oasis went 3-for-17 with runners on base. Two of the hits were infield singles, including a ball that hit a runner in the seventh inning.

“She did a good job keeping the ball moving today, kind of keeping them off-balance,” Durango coach Toni Del Toro said of Boyce, who improved to 11-5. “She was a little bit unpredictable. She used the change-up more than she has and used it with confidence.

“She was great.”

Boyce, who threw 74 of her 124 pitches for strikes, stranded 11 Diamondbacks on base, eight in the final four innings. Desert Oasis (3-6) left the bases loaded in the fifth and had two on with no outs in the seventh but couldn’t score.

Durango (12-5) gave Boyce just enough run support, scoring once in each of the first three innings.

Kaitlyn O’Hearn’s single to left field was bobbled to allow Cheyanne Haas to score in the first inning.

After the Diamondbacks tied the score on Scarlett Hurtado’s RBI single in the second, Haas delivered a two-out RBI hit in the bottom of the second to give the Trailblazers the lead for good.

Cat Smith tacked on a two-out RBI hit in the third.

“That’s the thing we’ve been trying to work on is getting on top early,” Del Toro said. “We know we need to get on top of teams and stay on top of them.”

Boyce took care of the rest, working around three errors, but also getting some flashy plays on defense. Haas snared a line drive high on her backhand side at third base to end the game.

Smith was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Boyce was 2-for-3.

“I’m just looking for their focus and making sure that they know what they are doing every play, every at-bat, so that we can make ourselves better,” Del Toro said. “That’s what you’re here for in these (nonleague) games, to make yourself better for when you play in league.”

Sammantha Caruso, Meagan Anders, Mary Dungey and Hurtado each went 1-for-2 for Desert Oasis, which was without two of its top players, including starting pitcher Shonda Badayos, because of college placement testing.