5A Softball Preview

May 5, 2018 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365


 

Ironwood Ridge standout Izzy Pacho (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

We started with 24 teams in the 5A softball playoffs and those 24 have been whittled down to the remaining six, with two already waiting in the semifinal round. Top-seeded Arcadia is still alive in the elimination bracket but No. 2 Campo Verde did not survive the first round and No. 3 Cienega needed eight innings to escape a first-round upset but the Bobcats blew out their next two opponents to advance to the semifinals.

Speaking of lopsided scores, No. 8 Ironwood Ridge beat No. 9 Desert Edge 10-0 in the first round, upset No. 1 Arcadia 12-3 in the second round and outlasted No. 4 Chaparral 5-0 in the third round. The Nighthawks are too good to be labeled the “Cinderella” team of the playoffs but the team from Vail came in vastly underrated.

Let’s take a closer look at the remaining matchups in the 5A softball tournament and the possible scenarios:

Chaparral (25-9) is facing Arcadia (28-4) in an upper-bracket elimination game scheduled for Tuesday, May 8 and the winner of that game will face Ironwood Ridge (25-9) once more, two days later in the semifinal round.

Longtime assistant coach David Martinez is in his first year in charge of Ironwood Ridge and he has his Nighthawks clicking at the right time.

“The success of this team has centered on great senior leadership and great chemistry on the field and in the dugout,” Martinez explained. “Pitching and defense has improved along with the ability to extend innings with clutch hitting with two outs.”

Leading the way is University of Arizona commit Isabel Pacho along with junior Jaiden Reid and senior infielder Morgan Reidhead

Jason Foster is in his 15th year with Arcadia.

“Our team has been playing tremendous defense and getting quality innings from our pitchers,” Foster said. He lists catcher Mae Forshey, shortstop Haley Denning, and second baseman Regan Kerr as some of his top players. The Titans took third place in 2016 but failed to advance out of the first round last year.

Chaparral took third place last year and head coach Mike Stoffey lists team chemistry and leadership from his seniors, juniors and sophomores as reason for his success this year. He also lists pitcher Maggie Thurston as the player that sets the tone for his program.

While Ironwood Ridge controls the upper bracket, Defending state champion Cienega (26-5) is in charge of the lower bracket. Eric Tatham is in his 11th year with the Bobcats and he likes what he sees from this team.

“This team has been successful because they completely buy into the system of softball that we play at Cienega,” Tatham said. “They are willing to work hard for the good of the team. They understand that it is about US not about THEM.”

He lists Kaitlyn Anderson, Abby Doughty, Kenzie Carson, Blaise Biringer, Payton McLaughlin and Brianna Hayward as his leaders.

“We graduated six excellent seniors last year,” Tatham added. “So, the biggest obstacle for us was getting the young players to embrace themselves as leaders.”

No. 6 Verrado (22-7) is facing No. 6 Centennial (21-9-1) in an elimination game for a shot at Cienega in the semifinals. The Vipers were stopped in this round last year but Centennial was eliminated in the first round by eventual state runner-up Sahuaro.

Randall Kaye is in his second year with Centennial and he lists Alanna Moran, Caitlyn Swisher, Hailey Galvez, Kenzie Celeya and Sydnie Sahaaras his team leaders.

“Our pitching depth is key, we play good defense and our lineup is tough when we keep it simple at the plate,” Kaye said.

Head coach Tee Hampton lists Hailey Raio, Paige Knezevich, Reina Kelley and Bianca Worthy as his team leaders, “We have been very fortunate with our core group of six girls for three years,” Hampton said. “In the last three years, we keep adding quality players to the group.”

The semifinal round is played in the double-elimination format and there will be an “if game” if the team coming up from the elimination bracket beats Cienega or Ironwood Ridge. The state championship game is single-elimination.