Silver Valley Softball: Advance Displacement

YERMO — The Silver Valley Trojans softball team has crossed a path between academia and athletics going into the CIF-Southern Section Division VI Wild Card round against Bishop High School at Bishop Union High School at 3:15 today.
Academia won.

Three of the Trojans’ key players will miss at least first part of the game against Bishop Union because they will be taking the advanced placement test in English.

“There is just so many things that are going against us right now,” Silver Valley coach Kevin Mintun said. “If this isn’t a test, I don’t know what is. With everything going against us right now, if we overcome this and win the first round, look out.”

Seniors Christian Shropshire, Megan Sullivan, and Kylie Negin, the Trojans’ only starting pitcher, will all be late taking the nearly four-hour trip to Bishop. They hope to rejoin their team in the early innings.

“We are just going to have to overcome the pressure,” Negin said. “There is a lot of pressure this week, I’ve had so much pressure this week. I’ve has an AP physics examination, AP English, and a few other finals to try to get through. I am trying to prepare for the game and there are other (school events) going on this week to. You just have to take it one event at a time.”

Mintun has a contingency plan going into the game with sophomore Alannah Castro slated to pitch in place of Negan. Castro’s only start was in Needles, and Mintun said he felt he has confidence that she will be able to perform well.

“It is going to be important that we get our bats going in the first inning,” Mintun said. “If we bat 20 minutes in the first round game, we will give the other players an opportunity to arrive.”

Mintun, admittedly doesn’t know much about their wild-card opponent other than they defeated Desert Christian, the first place team out of the Desert Mountain League.

“This is a wild-card team, so we should have a pretty good chance to be able to defeat them,” Mintun said. “I think we have a pretty talented team here.”

Mintun said he felt the team would be able to carry on but without his starting pitcher they are going to be struggling for a multitude of different reasons.

“She is the glue that holds this team together,” Mintun said. “We have never not had her at a ball game. There are so many aspects of her game that she brings to the table.”

The Trojans qualified for the postseason in each of the last two years, but were sent home after one game.

“I would like to finish this year winning first or second place,” senior Justine Valdez said. “We might be a little nervous right before the game, but I think we will overcome everything.”

Negin is looking forward to them winning.

“It’s going to be difficult because everyone is really connected with each other,” Negin said. “We are going to get through this and forge ahead. As a senior you feel a little added pressure, and you are wanting to win, and we will get through any set backs we have.”

Megan Sullivan said they are going to have just go out there and just have fun.

“We’ve been to CIF before, and we know what to do,” Sullivan said. “We are just going to go out there and basically play without the players. We will get through these set backs and make it.”

The Bishop team refused Silver Valley’s request to reschedule the game to give the players who are taking the advanced placement testing an opportunity to play. Mintun had a lot to do to arrange for the three-hour trip to Bishop. Mintun, had to register his license at the DVM to be able to drive the team van that is going to take them down there.

Also, Mintun had to rearrange his work schedule in order to make the trip.

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