The Canyon del Oro softball team flexed its collective muscle Saturday afternoon against Ironwood Ridge in the Dorado Classic championship game and looked strong in the process.
The Dorados inserted bench players in key situations, sparking a come-from-behind victory to beat Oro Valley rival Ironwood Ridge 7-4 at the Mike Jacob Sports Park.
Trailing by two runs in the top of the fifth inning with one out, CDO Kelly Fowler made her first of several moves to start a rally.
Junior Arianna Felix came off the bench to line a double down the left-field line on the first pitch she saw. Two batters later, senior Shelby Hotchkiss tied the game with an RBI double.
“We had a clutch moment when Felix came off the bench and hit a double on the first pitch.,” Fowler said. “I really think that was the momentum changer.”
Fowler went back to her bench and summoned freshman Alejandra Castro to the plate with a runner on second base and two outs. Castro popped the ball above home plate and three Nighthawks lost it in the sun. The ball rolled fair and the go-ahead run scored.
“We have a lot of kids and they all get a lot of playing time,” Fowler said of the 21 players on the roster. “They're extremely strong as one unit, so I think they realized they can do some good things as one.”
The Dorados tacked on three more runs in the final three innings and notched 12 hits, including six during that span. Through the grueling three-day, eight-game tournament, the Dorados hung 91 runs on its opponents.
“Our bats caught fire, our gloves and pitching got hot and we couldn't be stopped,” CDO senior outfielder Carli Campbell said. “The younger girls are now more comfortable playing in big situations. (Ironwood Ridge) is probably the best team in our region, and now we know we can beat them. We know what they got.”
Fowler said CDO has three goals this season, and winning the Dorado Classic with a win over a state championship-contending squad in I-Ridge was the just the start.
“We have a couple of goals and this was one of them,” Fowler said. “Winning the state championship is a goal, and we're going to a big tournament in California in April. So, one down, two to go.”
