Salpointe Catholic softball coach Amy Baray-Rocha wasn't happy with the effort her team was playing with late in Wednesday night's elimination game against eighth-seeded Tucson High.
So the No. 6 Lancers regained focus to grab hold of the situation, on their way to a 13-7 win at Amphitheater.
Now Salpointe plays No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia at Rose Mofford Sports Complex on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., in the loser quarterfinals of the Division II state tournament.
βThis game was all this team, my team,β senior starting pitcher Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage said. βWe were down. I was down, I wasn't as sharp as I could have been, but this team lifted me up. That's it, this team did it all.β
Salpointe trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning before putting together a five-run rally with two outs. The first run scored on a miscommunication between Tucson senior catcher Arriana Santa Maria and senior third baseman Vanessa Marmion that resulted in a throw ending up in left field.
βIt was kind of a double error, and those are two seniors who we rarely see that from,β Tucson coach Danielle Rodriguez said. βOur catcher didn't know it was a full count, so she was going to third base anyways and she wasn't paying attention. We kind of opened it up for them.β
Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Salpointe senior captain Megan Flores singled home two runs to tie the game. The Lancers followed with two consecutive singles to tack on two more runs to take a 6-4 lead
Salpointe recorded four singles and four walks to score five runs in the frame, all with two outs.
βThat inning was so much fun, you just build off that,β Aguilar-Beaucage said. βHits are contagious and no one wants to be that person that ends the rally, so everyone was trying their hardest to keep it alive.β
Aguilar-Beaucage shut down Tucsonβs bats for a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth before the Lancers erupted for seven runs in the bottom frame
Back-to-back bases-loaded walks by Trejo put Salpointe up 9-4. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Erika Marquez hit run-scoring infield single. Then sophomore Yannira Acuna followed with a three-run triple off the centerfield fence, giving Salpointe a 13-4 lead.
βIt just took a team effort, we all said we're going to hit the pitcher and get on base,β Acuna said. βWe took it one at-bat at a time and we just stuck together to know we'd come out on top.β
Even with a nine-run deficit, Rodriguez knew her young squad wouldn't give in. She said that has been one of her teamβs more defining qualities this season. Trejo made it interesting by slugging a three-run shot over the right-field fence but that was as close as the Badgers got.
βSince this is such a young group, itβs so easy to get down on yourself, and I'm not going to lie, I had to pick myself up,β Trejo said after the loss. βSince we're so young, that's how we came back to rally, because of our enthusiasm and fight. We still have a few more years, so they have nothing to lose, that's how we came back a bit.β
-Chuck Constantino
Sahuaro falls behind early, gets eliminated by Arcadia
PHOENIX β Lexy Coons shed some tears after Wednesday nightβs season-ending loss, but the outcome of the game wasnβt the main cause.
The Sahuaro junior pitcher was emotional because the 10-0 defeat, at the hands of fifth-seeded Phoenix Arcadia, put an end to her run with senior catcher Madison Wiley.
βIβm going to miss her so much,β Coons said. βSheβs probably the best catcher Iβve ever had; we work well together. Our motto this season was that we were basically a couple β weβre a battery.β
Third-seeded Sahuaro held off No. 6 Salpointe Catholic for a 1-0 win in 12 innings, in the first round of the double-elimination stage of the Division II state tournament last week. But the Cougars fell to No. 2 Ironwood Ridge 12-0 on Tuesday night, after letting things get out of hand in the top of the first inning.
The same thing happened on Wednesday night at Rose Mofford Sports Complex.
Coons walked the first batter she faced on four straight balls and the Titans took off from there, in their first game back since knocking off top-seeded Canyon del Oro on Saturday.
Arcadia sent 10 batters to the plate in the opening frame, logging four walks and three hits to go ahead 4-0 before Coons pitched the leadoff hitter into a groundout with the bases loaded. The Titans added two more runs in the third inning and then went ahead 7-0 in the fourth after a solo home run.
Meanwhile, Sahuaroβs attempt at making a comeback was held off by Arcadia senior pitcher Emily Ingles, who she took a one-hitter into the sixth inning on her way to striking out 10 for the complete-game victory.
βWe ran into a pretty good pitcher tonight,β Sahuaro coach Jeff Fowler said. βOther than that, Iβm proud of the girls. Thatβs all I can say, they did everything we asked.β
Ingles held the Cougars to three hits in the win, to set up another win-or-go-home showdown against Salpointe on Thursday at Rose Mofford Sport Complex. Arcadia beat the Lancers 7-2 on April 22 as Ingles struck out eight and gave up eight hits.
βIf we play like we did tonight and play even stronger tomorrow I think we can get it done,β Ingles said. βI expect a team effort.β
Sahuaro is expected to return all but two of 10 starters from Wednesdayβs games next season, with Wiley and senior designated player Amber Romero graduating. Fowler and Coons both expect the Cougars to be among Tucsonβs top teams again next season and Wiley doesnβt see why that wonβt be the case.
βTheyβll definitely be a strong team next year, no doubt,β said Wiley, who will play at Paradise Valley CC next year. βI think theyβll go just as far, if not farther. I know theyβre going to be just as strong, everyone is going to still be close and theyβre going to do great next year.β
-Daniel Gaona
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
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 results (single elimination)
No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia 5, No. 1 Canyon del Oro 3
No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 7, No. 23 Casa Grande 5
Winner quarterfinal results (double elimination)
No. 2 Ironwood Ridge 12, No. 3 Sahuaro 0 (5 innings)
No. 4 Glendale Cactus 6, No. 8 Tucson 1
Wednesdayβs loser bracket, second-round results (single elimination)
No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 13, No. 8 Tucson 7
No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia 10, No. 3 Sahuaro 0
Winner semifinals (double elimination) β Thursday
No. 4 Glendale Cactus vs. No. 2 Ironwood Ridge at Rose Mofford Sports Complex, 6:30 p.m.
Loser quarterfinals (single elimination) β Thursday
No. 6 Salpointe Catholic vs. No. 5 Phoenix Arcadia 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)
Quarterfinal results
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 2, No. 2 San Tan Valley Poston Butte
No. 1 Yuma Cibola 12, No. 24 Nogales 1
Semifinal results
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 12, No. 3 Mohave Valley River Valley 0 (5 innings)
Championship result
No. 7 Catalina Foothills 8, No. 5 Payson 0
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
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
Semifinal results
No. 5 Pueblo 10, No. 1 Benson 0 (5 innings)
Championship result
No. 5 Pueblo 5, No. 2 Camp Verde 0
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
Quarterfinal results
No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union 20, No. 5 Winkelman Hayden 0 (5 innings)
Semifinal results
No. 1 Kearny Ray 6, No. 4 Elfrida Valley Union 2
