Ironwood Ridge uses late rally to beat Cactus, reach title game

PHOENIX – Isabel Pacho and Annika Baez came up with a plan heading into the bottom of the sixth inning of Thursday night’s state playoff game. With Ironwood Ridge’s softball team down by two runs, the duo agreed it was time to string some hits together and make something happen.

Talk about setting the tone.

Pacho led off the frame with a solo home run to spark a four-run inning and the second-seeded Nighthawks went on to beat No. 4 Glendale Cactus 5-3 at Rose Mofford Sports Complex, in the winner semifinals of the Division II state tournament.

Now I-Ridge moves on to the state finals for the third time in the last four seasons. It will face either Cactus or No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia on Monday at ASU’s Farrington Stadium, with a chance to capture its second title under third-year coach Rich Alday.

“We were there sophomore year and it’s a dream come true to go back this year,” I-Ridge senior first baseman Morgan Haft said. “This year with 12 seniors, there was no tension or anything like that. We all want it bad – it felt like this is how it’s supposed to be.”

Pacho scored I-Ridge’s first run of the game after she got on base with a two-out walk in the bottom of first inning. Baez, a junior shortstop, doubled to move her to third and then freshman Jaiden Reid bought her home on a single, to make it 3-1 with Cactus ahead.

Things stayed the same until Pacho’s leadoff shot to right field in the bottom of the sixth made it 3-2

“I was up there, I saw my pitch and I just went for it,” Pacho said. “Once we got that run, I knew it was ours.”

Baez, batting in the cleanup spot, followed that with a single and then Reid dropped a blooper into shallow right field to put runners on first and second. That’s when senior first baseman Morgan Haft came to the plate and produced the biggest hit of the night, with a full-count, two-run single to put the Nighthawks ahead 4-3.

Haft ended up at second with the throw home and then scored one batter later, on a hit by junior Alexis Orth, giving I-Ridge a 5-3 lead heading into the seventh.

“I knew that was my time,” Haft said. “I had kind of been in a slump and I knew it was for me.”

Cactus jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning but I-Ridge senior Mandy Lorensen took the circle in the top of the second and quieted the Cobras to keep the Nighthawks within striking distance. After the big sixth inning, Lorensen logged another scoreless frame to seal the victory.

“I have so much faith in my team, I knew they were going to come out firing,” Lorensen said. “It’s so surreal to me, it’s so special because it is my senior year. All the seniors want to go out with a bang and this is the bang that we can do.”

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Pacho said the key Monday will be getting on the board right away, rather than trying to rally late. Last time I-Ridge appeared in the championship game, in 2014, it knocked off Oro Valley rival Canyon del Oro 2-1.

“We’ve been playing really well these last for games so hopefully that will continue,” I-Ridge coach Rich Alday said. “These girl have been really, really good all year. The chemistry is really good and our girls in the dugout have been outstanding. It’s a whole team effort.”

Salpointe falls to Arcadia in loser quarterfinals

PHOENIX – Emily Ingles struck again on Thursday night, as fifth-seeded Phoenix Arcadia beat No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 6-3 to knock out yet another Tucson-area softball team from the Division II state tournament.

Ingles made the Lancers her latest victim as she gave up six hits and stuck out seven for her third straight complete-game victory. The senior pitcher has also logged postseason wins against Canyon del Oro, Cienega and Sahuaro.

Salpointe, the 2015 state runner-up, had its best chance to break through against Ingles and the Titans in the top of the fourth inning.

With Arcadia ahead 3-0, freshman second baseman Diana Montano hit a two-out, two run double with the bases loaded to break up the shutout. Sophomore shortstop Frankee De La Cruz walked after that to load the bases again but the next batter grounded out to strand all three runners.

“We needed to capitalize when we had runners on,” Salpointe coach Amy Baray-Rocha said. “We didn’t, they did and that was the difference tonight.”

Arcadia pushed its lead to 5-2 in the next frame and then tacked on another run in bottom of the fifth to go ahead 6-2.

Sophomore leadoff hitter and center fielder Yannira Acuna hit an inside-the-park home run with two outs in the top of the seventh but Salpointe was unable to mount any sort of further comeback from there.

The loss closed out a stellar four-year career for senior pitcher and cleanup hitter Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage, who Baray-Rocha credits for a lot of the success this year with such a young group.

“She’s a workhorse,” Baray-Rocha said, “and she gave us everything she could today.”