PHOENIX — Catalina Foothills softball coach Mark Stevens told his players if they wanted to win a state championship, they were probably going to have to beat the top three seeds in this year’s Division III tournament.
Well, No. 2 down, and two more to go.
The seventh-seeded Falcons edged out No. 2 San Tan Valley Poston Butte 2-1 in a pitchers' duel Friday in the Division III state quarterfinals to punch their ticket to the semifinals on Saturday.
“We had a good game plan with this team and how to keep them off-balance,” Stevens said. “We knew what they wanted to see and we worked it.”
Poston Butte struck first Friday, scoring on double by Skyler Jenkins in the first inning, but Catalina Foothills tied it up with a single by Marisa Garcia in the third.
Later in the top of the sixth, a single by Kathryn Lucio gave Catalina Foothills its first lead of the game.
“I told them we’ll find some holes here or there. One or two runs like that against a team like this can win a ballgame,” Stevens said. “And they did it. They executed very well tonight.”
Falcons pitcher Nic Conway went on to strike out four of the final six batters including all three she faced in the final inning for the win.
“Before that last pitch, I just took a deep breath and threw it as hard as I could,” Conway said. “After, I couldn’t even really believe what had happened but before I knew it everyone was already crowding around me."
Catalina Foothills will face No. 3 River Valley in the semifinal round Saturday where Lucio and the Falcons will be aiming for another upset.
Top-seeded Benson stops Amphi; Pueblo up next
PHOENIX — Benson softball coach Shad Housley knew that Amphitheater was no ordinary No. 24 seed and the Panthers proved that Friday, jumping out to a 3-2 lead early over the top-ranked Bobcats.
But Benson battled back, scoring six runs in the final three innings to capture an 8-3 victory over Amphi in the Division IV quarterfinal matchup at Rose Mofford Sports Complex.
“They beat a team here at state 18-1. They beat an 8 and 9 seed for Heaven’s sake,” Housley said of Amphitheater. “So I expected that.”
Benson trailed by a run heading into the fourth inning, but a double by Hope Adams tied it up. A single by Megan Adams in the next inning gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game and Benson added one more run on in the fifth off a triple from Cori Jackson to go up 5-3.
“Our girls have had some resiliency all year long and, when it matters, we’ve had girls in different spots of the lineup step up and that’s what happened today,” Housley said.
An inside-the-park home run by Shelbi Lopshire that scored three in the bottom of the sixth was the icing on the cake for the Bobcats and the Panthers just didn’t have an answer late.
The Bobcats advance to the semifinal round where they will face No. 5 Pueblo Saturday at Rose Mofford. Pueblo defeated No. 4 Yuma Catholic 8-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal contest.
“They’re another tough team from our section,” Housley said. “We’ve got to play consistently, we’ve got to be error-free and we’ve got to have timely hitting. We can’t leave people on base like we did today and expect to beat a good team like Pueblo.”
In another Division IV game at Rose Mofford on Friday, No. 3 San Manuel was upset by No. 11 Morenci 13-1. And in Division V, No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union defeated No. 5 Winkelman Hayden 20-0 to advance to the semifinal round Saturday.
POSTSEASON GLANCE
SOFTBALL
DIVISION II STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, double-elimination after second round. Winner-take-all championship game)
First-round results
No. 12 Cienega 7, No. 21 Mesa Skyline 3
No. 16 Desert View 3, No. 17 Flagstaff 0
No. 18 Sunnyside 9, No. 15 Buckeye Verrado 5
No. 19 Sierra Vista Buena 12, No. 14 Gilbert Mesquite 7
Second-round results
No. 1 Canyon del Oro 4, No. 16 Desert View 1
No. 2 Ironwood Ridge 11, No. 18 Sunnyside 1 (5 innings)
No. 3 Sahuaro 6, No. 19 Sierra Vista Buena 3
No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 10, No. 22 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 0 (5 innings
No. 8 Tucson 17, No. 9 Goodyear Desert Edge 7 (5 innings)
No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia 5, No. 12 Cienega 3
Thursday’s third-round results (double elimination)
No. 8 Tucson 10, No. 1 Canyon del Oro 9
No. 2 Ironwood Ridge 10, No. 23 Casa Grande 0 (5 innings)
No. 3 Sahuaro 1, No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 0 (12 innings)
Loser bracket, first round (single elimination) – Saturday
No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia vs. No. 1 Canyon del Oro at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix
No. 23 Casa Grande vs. No. 6 Salpointe Catholic at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix
Winner quarterfinals (double elimination) – Tuesday
No. 3 Sahuaro vs. No. 2 Ironwood Ridge at TBD, 6:30 p.m.
No. 8 Tucson vs. No. 4 Glendale Cactus at Rose Mofford Sports Complex, 6:30 p.m.
DIVISION III STATE TOURNAMENT
(32 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 5, No. 26 Lake Havasu 4
No. 10 Douglas 15, No. 23 Lee Williams 0
No. 16 Empire 13, No. 17 Glendale Apollo 2
No. 11 Phoenix Bourgade Catholic 3, No. 22 Sahuarita 1
No. 19 Rio Rico 9, No. 14 Avondale Agua Fria 1
No. 24 Nogales 6, No. 9 Goodyear Estrella Foothills 0
Second-round results
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 8, No. 10 Douglas 1
No. 1 Yuma Cibola, No. 16 Empire 7
No. 19 Rio Rico 5, No. 3 Mohave Valley River Valley 1
No. 24 Nogales 19, No. 8 Show Low 2 (5 innings)
Friday’s quarterfinal results
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 2, No. 2 San Tan Valley Poston Butte 1
No. 1 Yuma Cibola 12, No. 24 Nogales 1
Semifinals – Saturday at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix
No. 7 Catalina Foothills vs. No. 3 Mohave Valley River Valley, 10 a.m.
DIVISION IV STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 19 Pusch Ridge Christian 16, No. 14 Willcox 14
No. 20 Tanque Verde 13, No. 13 Globe 0
No. 24 Amphitheater 18, No. 9 Florence 1
Second-round results
No. 1 Benson 12, No. 16 Phoenix Country Day 0 (5 innings)
No. 3 San Manuel 9, No. 19 Pusch Ridge Christian 8
No 5 Pueblo 14, No. 21 Thatcher 4
No. 4 Yuma Catholic 13, No. 20 Tanque Verde 11
No. 24 Amphitheater 2, No. 8 Chandler Prep 0
Friday’s quarterfinal results
No. 1 Benson 8, No. 24 Amphitheater 3
No. 11 Morenci 13, No. 3 San Manuel 1 (5 innings)
No. 5 Pueblo 8, No. 4 Yuma Catholic 8
Semifinals – Friday at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix
No. 5 Pueblo vs. No. 1 Benson, 10 a.m.
DIVISION V STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 13 San Miguel 13, No. 20 Williams 0 (5 innings)
No. 12 Mayer 13, No. 21 Bisbee 12
No. 9 San Carlos 8, No. 24 Academy of Tucson 7
No. 11 St. David 14, No. 22 Mogollon 10
Second-round results
No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union 17, No. 13 San Miguel 6 (5 innings)
No. 6 Joseph City 16, No. 11 St. David 14
Friday’s quarterfinal results
No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union 20, No. 5 Winkelman Hayden 0 (5 innings)
Semifinals – Saturday at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix
No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union vs. No. 1 Kearny Ray, 10 a.m.
