Tucson folks have never been necessarily fond of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, and this week’s events only added more fuel to the fire.
A scheduling debacle and a wooden-bat controversy have plenty of local high school athletes, coaches and fans upset with the organization once again.
Surprised?
This whole mess came about Tuesday night, after five Tucson-area softball programs moved on to the eight-team, double-elimination stage of the Division II state tournament.
The third-round matchups had top-seeded Canyon del Oro playing No. 8 Tucson, second-seeded Ironwood Ridge facing No. 23 Casa Grande and No. 3 Sahuaro taking on No. 6 Salpointe Catholic. It seemed clear that those games should be played locally.
The AIA made the correct decision moving two of the games to Tucson, but the location raised some eyebrows. Cherry Field is a great spot, arguably the nicest venue in town, but how was it fair to make the No. 1 seed play at the home site of their opponent?
The AIA tried to avoid a conflict — sort of. CDO’s game against the Badgers was held on the junior varsity field, while Sahuaro and Salpointe played on the main field.
I-Ridge, meanwhile, was forced to travel to Rose Mofford Sports Complex for its 5:30 p.m. game against Casa Grande instead of having it moved somewhere more convenient for both teams. Have you ever tried getting through central Phoenix during rush hour? Just ask the fans and parents who made the trek Thursday — it’s not fun.
AIA’s reasoning, and they’re right, is that there simply aren’t enough big-time softball venues in Tucson. Some coaches have passed on the idea of playing at Mike Jacob Sports Park because of the different dimensions of the infield. Lincoln Park on the east side is another option, as long as the fields remain in good shape.
But CDO shouldn’t have to play at Tucson’s home venue and I-Ridge shouldn’t have traveled to Phoenix. There are other high school fields in town that could have been made available with a few phone calls.
Another controversy — this one involving a wooden bat — could have also been resolved by picking up the phone.
Salpointe hosted Mesa Westwood in Tuesday’s second-round playoff game. A Westwood player used a wooden bat against the Lancers, which is rare but allowed. He hit a home run in the seventh inning, and was batting an inning later when the bat snapped near the handle and landed in Salpointe’s bullpen.
The Lancers retrieved the bat, then discovered that it may have been doctored; there were some visible drill marks inside the cup of the barrel. Salpointe’s coaches met with the umpires, who ruled the game could continue. Westwood went on to win 8-7 in eight innings.
Here’s where things get weird: Salpointe coaches were told to give the bat back to Westwood, and were told to expect a meeting with AIA officials on Wednesday to determine whether the bat was allowed. Instead, the AIA met with Westwood without informing Salpointe and deemed the bat legal; the Warriors knocked off defending state champion CDO 4-2 later that afternoon.
Salpointe coaches were furious. The team posted a picture to Twitter that showed some kind of modification near the end.
If nothing else, Salpointe deserves an explanation from the AIA. So do the CDO and I-Ridge softball teams, for that matter.
Talk about a swing and a miss for the AIA this week in Tucson.
Daily, Risch capture titles
for Cabs at state meet
Flowing Wells juniors Katie Daily and Morgan Risch both won state track and field championships Wednesday in Mesa.
Daily cleared 11 feet, 1 inch to win the girls Division II pole vault while Risch pulled away late to take first place in the boys Division II 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes 22.75 seconds.
In other action Wednesday, Flowing Wells senior Sierra Rodriguez placed second in the girls Division II discus (123-9), Sahuaro senior Brielle Sterns finished second in the girls Division II long jump (18-4¾), Salpointe Catholic senior Anthony Ference placed second in the boys Division II pole vault (14-6) and Tucson High junior Ana Lopez was second in the girls Division I high jump. (5-4). The state meet continues Friday and Saturday at Mesa Community College.
Foothills boys, girls teams
in state tennis semifinals
Catalina Foothills can send both its boys and girls tennis programs to the state championship match for the third year in a row on Friday. The Falcons play in the Division II state semis at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale, with the boys starting at 9 a.m. against Mesa Skyline and the girls taking the court two hours later against Buckeye.
A Foothills win would ensure an all-Tucson boys final. Salpointe Catholic takes on Pusch Ridge Christian in the other semifinal match. Salpointe’s girls, meanwhile, will face Scottsdale Notre Dame, with the winner advancing to take on either Foothills or Buckeye.
Panthers softball tops list
of postseason surprises
Amphitheater’s softball team entered the final day of the regular season needing a win at Desert Christian to be eligible for the Division IV state tournament.
Now the No. 24 Panthers are two wins from playing in their first title game, starting with a quarterfinal showdown against top-seeded Benson at Rose Mofford Sports Complex on Friday at 5 p.m.
Amphi opened up the tournament with an 18-1 win against No. 9 Florence last Friday, behind five RBIs and a complete-game victory by sophomore pitcher Kayla Martinez. The Panthers knocked off No. 8 Chandler Prep 2-0 the next day for their fourth straight win.
