Centennial’s Amanda Sink sets state record with 20 strikeouts
There came a point in Wednesday’s game that the question no longer was whether Centennial would win but if Amanda Sink would enter the softball record book.
Sink said she knew she had struck out 20, but learned later it was a state record. After her performance against Durango, Sink sits alone atop the Nevada record book for most strikeouts in a seven-inning game, and Centennial cruised to a 12-0 road win to open the Sunset Region tournament.
“That’s going to stay with me,” Sink said. “It’s a big accomplishment.”
It became apparent early that the record was in jeopardy. Sink recorded her first 15 outs by strikeout, a soft sixth-inning pop-up the first time she needed her fielders. She took a no-hitter into the sixth and allowed two hits. She was overpowering, blowing fastball after fastball by the Trailblazers (23-11-1), and struck out 16 of them swinging.
Dominant would be an understatement.
“I tallied it up there, and when we got done with the game and I’m like hold on a second — 20? Out of 21 outs?” Centennial coach Mike Livreri said. “You don’t expect 20 strikeouts; nobody would ever expect that.”
But it took until the fourth for Sink to feel comfortable. After Durango’s Trinity Valentine matched Sink the first time through the order, Seanna Simpson led off the Centennial fourth with a double, and the Bulldogs (21-14) scored three runs without the ball leaving the infield.
The floodgates opened in the fifth for six Centennial runs, and Jillian Bartley’s two-run homer in the seventh punctuated the scoring.
Then all eyes could turn to Sink for the bottom of the seventh. She looked human for a moment after allowing a single and a walk, but responded with two strikeouts for the state record.
“I wasn’t trying to strike them out, I was just pitching,” Sink said. “I was focusing on throwing it over the plate.
“It was fun.”
Centennial will play at Palo Verde (28-7) on Wednesday, and Durango will host Bishop Gorman (13-22).
Sink’s outing put her fourth on the state’s all-time list for strikeouts in a game, with the three above her coming in extra innings. She broke the seven-inning record that was held by three pitchers, including former Bulldog Shannon Crisp’s 19 in 2004.
Contact Justin Emerson at jeme
Amanda Sink set the Nevada state record with 20 strikeouts in a seven-inning game, leading Centennial to a 12-0 road win against Durango in the first round of the Sunset Region tournament.
