Softball squad building legacy of success

     By Todd Dewey
     View staff writer
      They dominated their district, state and division tournaments to climb one step away from the Little League World Series.
      The Legacy Little League major division all-star softball team has gone further than any team in league history, which is impressive, considering Legacy has produced 10 state champions.
      "I honestly thought we'd win state, but I didn't expect us to do as well as we did (at the division tournament)," said Rick Tschogl, manager of the team made up of 11- and 12-year-olds. "We came out and beat everyone pretty soundly. The girls dominated."
      Indeed.
      After annihilating every team in its path on its way to the state championship, Legacy barely broke stride at the Western Regional Division 4 tournament in Elko, beating New Mexico and Arizona, twice, to advance to the Western Regional tourney in Seattle.
      Legacy, armed with a deep and talented pitching staff and an equally potent lineup at the plate, upended Arizona 14-6 in its second division duel and then defeated Arizona again 15-4 in five innings to win the championship.
      "Arizona and New Mexico are very tough teams, but our girls just hit very well," Tschogl said. "Any one of these kids can come off the bench and hit a double or a triple. We have a lot of good hitters on the team."
      Legacy also has a lot of good pitchers.
      Nyshele Miller hurled a no-hitter in the state championship game, lifting Legacy to a 22-0 triumph over host Elko, and also shut down Arizona in the division title tilt.
      "I would put Nyshele Miller in the first game of any tournament," Tschogl said. "She's very accurate. She was pretty dominating at state."
      She was so dominant in the state championship game that Tschogl felt sorry for Elko. Once Legacy built a large lead, he instructed his players to stop stealing bases.
      "I'm glad Nyshele had such a good game, but I felt bad for Elko," Tschogl said.
      In addition to Miller, Legacy has several other strong pitchers in its arsenal.
      "We're six pitchers deep and what we noticed was the teams that were strong had two pitchers that could do the job," Tschogl said. "We're pretty comfortable using three starters at any time."
      Jessie Rivas and Kelsey Wolfe are Legacy's other top starters. Rivas had 15 strikeouts in a six-inning victory over Elko at state and also beat Arizona.
      Other pitchers on the squad include Christina Jones, Liz Plese and Brittany Day.
      Brittany Romito paces Legacy at the plate. Tschogl estimated that the leadoff hitter, who plays left field, has reached base in all but one at-bat in the team's perfect 9-0 playoff run.
      "She just hits the ball so darn hard, she's either looking at base hits or errors," Tschogl said.
      Several other players have also made their presence felt at the plate.
      Wolfe went 6-for-6 in the last two games of the state tournament. Candace Tschogl, who starts at shortstop, went 4-4 with six RBIs in the first game against Arizona, and Rivas ripped a three-run triple to down Arizona in the division championship.
      "Every one of the kids has contributed," Tschogl said.
      Tschogl has been impressed with the attitude and chemistry of the team.
      "They're just a great bunch of kids," he said. "They're all good students and they play real well together, not only on the field, but they're good friends off the field, and I think that's one of the reasons they've done so well."
      Candice Harris starts at catcher for the Legacy all-stars, Tiffany Lane plays third base, Tschogl plays short, Wolfe plays second base and Rivas starts at first, when she's not on the mound.
      Ali Hansen starts in center field, with Romito in left and Megan Lundwall in right field.
      Day, Plese, Jones and Jessica Redding round out the roster.
      The girls beat Green Valley and twice beat Henderson Little League to win the District 2 title -- defined as east of Interstate 15. Legacy then shut out Summerlin 12-0 and twice beat host Elko to win the state championship.
      The girls need to win three games at the four-team Western Regional tournament, which started Aug. 6, to advance to the Little League World Series.
      Results were not available at press time, but Tschogl said the squad was confident it could capture another crown.
      "I think we have a very good shot at it. We've got some very strong players on this team," he said. "We have a lot of confidence right now. The way we're playing, there's a good chance we can keep going. It's a good time for these kids to peak."