After losing a close 8-7 game to Las Vegas powerhouse Centennial High School to open a tournament in St. George last weekend, the Tooele High School softball team reeled off four consecutive victories.

After the loss in the opener, Tooele defeated Orem 7-0, Foothill, Colo. 5-1, Palo Verde, Calif. 2-0 and West Jordan 11-3.

"I think we came out a little over-confident in our first game. Our players thought they could just take the field and expect to win," said Tooele coach Barry Pitt. "We do expect to win, but we have to execute and Centennial is a strong team -- the type of team we expect to see in our new region."

The coach said his team probably needed to play a game before facing a team the caliber of Centennial to be able to get out the cobwebs as the season begins.

Tooele led 5-2 after three innings in the opener, but Centennial rallied to score four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 6-5. Tooele tied it at 6-6 in the sixth, Centennial added two runs in the top of the seventh to make it 8-6 and Tooele added a run in the seventh to finish the game down one run at 8-7.

"They are one of the top teams in Las Vegas and we always like to play tough teams to get ready for our region," the coach said.

Despite the strong opponent, Tooele pounded out nine hits in the opener.

Sophomore Matti Snow went three-for-four from the plate and Kelsey Mendenhal ripped a home run in the game. Jordan McMain went two-for-three at the plate.

Tooele 9, Orem 0

Snow pitched a no-hitter against Orem with Lauren Folta pounding out three hits including a double in the victory. Snow helped herself in the hitting department with two hits including a home run.

Tooele 5, Foothill, Colo. 1

Snow fired a four-hitter from the mound against Foothill while the Buffs pounded out seven hits in this victory. Helping out the team offensively with hits were Megan McClimans, Ashleigh Walker, Aly Jensen, Allie Alverson, Brittany Gonzales, Folta and Snow.

Tooele 2, Palo Verde, Calif 0

Pitcher Folta gave up only one hit in the Buffs' win over Palo Verde. Tooele scored its first run in the opening inning when Snow led off with a double and scored on two wild pitches. Tooele scored again in the fifth inning with a lead-off single from McMain followed by a single from Snow and an RBI single from Kelsey Mendenhal.

"Our scouting report showed that Palo Verdi had some good hitters so it was a real strong performance from Lauren (Folta) on then mound," Pitt said.

Tooele 11, West Jordan 3

Tooele whipped up on West Jordan to finish strong at the tournament. Folta pitched a three-hitter in the game. Mendenhal went two-for-three from the plate including a three-run homer to pace the Buffs offensively. Gonzales went two-for-three with a triple.

Tooele plays at Bingham Wednesday at 3 p.m. and hosts Timpview, Tuesday, March 18 at 4 p.m. at Deseret Peak Complex.

Mark Watson: mwatson@tooeletranscript.com