Former Fallon softball standout remembered in pregame ceremony

Click to Enlarge Thomas Ranson • LVNphoto Jan Kelly, Kara Kelly-Borgognone's mother, hugs Fallon's Rachel Itskin after the team honored the family's loss. Browse and Buy Lahontan Valley News Photos

ByTHOMAS RANSON
March 26, 2008, 12:05 AM

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If Kara Kelly-Borgognone was looking down on the Lady Wave softball team in its home opener Tuesday, she would have been proud.

"From the time we moved her in 1986, Kara played softball,"Kelly-Borgognone's father, Kevin Kelly, said. "That's what she did. It took her through college. This is the time I always look forward to and so did she."

Kelly-Borgognone and her family were honored Tuesday before Fallon's win over Galena. Kelly-Borgougne, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper, died last month after she sustained critical injuries from a car accident while responding to a bomb threat in Spanish Springs.

"We have been getting cards and letters from all over Nevada and California from young ladies who Kara grew up with,"Kevin Kelly said.

With emotions flying with the wind on the softball field, Kelly-Borgognone's mother didn't hesitate in recalling the last time she saw her daughter sporting the green and white.

"It's very emotional because the last time I did this for Kara was when they honored the seniors,"Jan Kelly said. "This was a double-edged sword. It felt good but it was new to us. As time passes, you kind of forget those (statistics). It was kind of bittersweet."

Kelly-Borgognone played four years for the Lady Wave before earning a scholarship to play at Columbia College.

"This was her game," Kevin Kelly said. "Back at Columbia, the coach stressed student-athlete. That sold her. That was the greatest thing. That kid was so driven. There's only one way to play this game and my daughter did."

Kelly-Borgognone didn't end her softball career in college. She wanted to give back to the community and started coaching when her daughters entered softball.

"She started to coach in Reno because you have to give back,"Kevin Kelly said. "It's fun to watch your daughter coach after she played. Especially as a young woman and an officer, you need to get out there and be a role model. She started doing it and liked it. Sometimes she came in her patrol car to practice. The kids loved that."

Each Fallon player wore a black band across her left jersey strap, bearing Kelly-Borgognone's number, 36. The team presented the family with her number on the blanket.

"As a parent and coach, probably a parent first, nothing is more tragic for a parent to lose a child," current Fallon coach Phil Pinder said. "My heart definitely goes out to the family and everyone in the situation. As a coach, you look back at the accomplishments of the young lady."