In a high school all-star softball game that highlighted pitching, Sanger's Serena Sanchez stood out most Tuesday.

Sanchez pitched five no-hit innings, escaping three jams that weren't of her own doing, to help the South beat the North 2-1 in the City/County All-Star softball game at Clovis North.

A crowd of several hundred filled the stands and pressed against the left- and right-field fences.

Sanchez, named the South MVP, started and withstood shaky defense in the second, fourth and fifth when errors helped runners reach third base.

She induced two popups to end the second-inning rally; got out of the fourth when right fielder Liyah Samuelu of Fresno High tracked down an errant throw and threw a strike to Bullard catcher Gina Fausone to end the inning; and stranded the runner in the fifth when Roosevelt second baseman Nou Lor slid to her knees to get a groundout.

Lor also made a great running catch in the fourth.

The South grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI double by Kerman's Matraca Nord (Sanchez walked to aid the rally) and made it 2-0 on Fausone's bases-loaded groundout in the fifth.

Clovis' Kacy Moritz made that lead stand up with four innings of relief, striking out five. After the North scored in the eighth on a walk, a single and a throwing error, Moritz stranded the tying run at third with two strikeouts and a popup.

Completing a special night for Sanger, Apaches outfielders Caitlan Hemma and Adrieanna Ramirez made catches in the ninth to help seal the win.

"We've been really close, all of us girls, so it was special to play one last game with them," said Sanchez, who's headed to West Hills College.

North pitchers Amanda Giel (Clovis West), Cecy Torres (Firebaugh), Mikayela Viramontes (Reedley) and Morgan Reiter (Central) combined on a four-hitter.

CITY/COUNTY BOX SCORE

South 2, North 1

South 100 010 000 -- 2 4 5

North 000 000 010 -- 1 2 1

WP: Serena Sanchez (Sanger). LP: Amanda Giel (Clovis West). S: Kacy Moritz (Clovis). S, Erica Chan (Kerman) run; Matraca Nord (Kerman) 2B, RBI; Lisa Mejia (Memorial) 2B; Caitlan Hemma (Sanger) run; Kapri Angotti (Clovis) 1B; Gina Fausone (Bullard) RBI; Brittany Snow (Kingsburg) 1B. N, Heather Loflin (Caruthers) 1B; Julia Alonso (Central) 1B; Jocelynn Medina (Madera) run.

Award winners: Most inspirational, Medina, Fausone; team MVPs, Sanchez, Morgan Reiter (Central)