Bonanza drops Clark to remain unbeaten

If Bonanza’s softball team is starting to feel any pressure as the lone remaining undefeated squad in Southern Nevada, it’s not noticeable.

The Bengals, who already have more wins than they had all of last season, are all smiles before a game and all business during.

Bonanza put on another near-perfect display at Clark on Monday, downing the Chargers 6-1 and improving to 13-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southwest League.

“We have a huge target on our back,” said Bonanza coach Dusti Winward, whose team won nine games last season. “But our girls are so relaxed. I call them goofy all the time, but when they’re goofy, they’re relaxed. That’s so not me; it drives me nuts.

“But I just have to let them be. It’s working. I just have to let them be goofballs.”

The Bengals scored twice on Brittany Spencer’s single just inside the right-field line in the top of the first and were never threatened.

All six of Bonanza’s hits went to the opposite field as the Bengals had good approaches at the plate against Clark’s Elisa Dawson.

“Mostly because it was a faster pitcher, but we just tried to hit the pitches that were outside,” said freshman right fielder Nicolette Lind, who went 2-for-3 with a two-run triple down the right-field line.

Lind’s triple bumped the lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning, giving pitcher Sam Snyder a big cushion. The Bengals tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the sixth inning, scoring twice after a fly ball that would have ended the inning was dropped.

Snyder tossed a three-hitter and struck out eight. Dawson’s two-out double in the sixth inning allowed Clark (5-6, 1-2) to score its only run.

“Sam was on,” Winward said. “We’ve been working with her on keeping her pitches low.”

Monday’s game was the start of an important stretch for the Bengals, who host Desert Oasis today and visit Durango on Thursday.

Durango remained unbeaten in league play Monday by beating Desert Oasis 11-1, the Diamondbacks’ first league loss.

“It’s really fun for us,” Lind said. “It’s exciting to play in big games.”