Red Mountain softball clips Perry, 1-0

April 13, 2021 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Red Mountain's Payton Maguire receives homage from head coach Rich Hamilton after her game-deciding home run in seventh inning. (AzPreps365 photo)

Red Mountain freshman outfielder Payton Maguire got to see more pitches Tuesday than any player on her team in what turned out to be a superb pitchers' duel against host Perry.

Maguire ended up striking out swinging and looking in her first two at-bats. Perhaps she learned something from those Ks. Maguire's third at-bat was the difference in the game as she blasted a solo homer to left in the top of the seventh giving Red Mountain at 1-0 victory over Perry in a 6A non-region softball game.

Red Mountain improved to 8-4 and hopes the victory will elevate it to a top-16 spot in the power rankings. The Mountain Lions, despite winning twice as many games as they've lost, were ranked 18th in the lastest rankings Tuesday. They need to be in the top 16 by season's end to qualify for postseason. Perry slipped to 5-4 for the year, but its strength of schedule and more competitive Premier Region have it higher-ranked than Red Mountain. The Pumas were  seventh in the latest rankings.  Four of the five Premier Region teams are ranked in the top 10. No teams in the six-team East Valley Region were in Tuesday's top 16. 

"I told our girls the last two innings the game was going to be decided by the pitcher that makes a mistake,"  Red Mountain coach Rich Hamilton said. "Both pitchers threw great. This was Payton's second time hitting a home run in the seventh inning. This one won it and the other against Hamilton extended our lead. It was a game between two evenly matched teams."

Maguire fanned on a 2-2 count in the second inning and 3-2 count in the fourth. In the seventh she took a called strike and made good contact, but foul on the second. Some fans muttered she was 'right on it" with the second pitch. The third pitch she got all of it and it was pretty much a no-doubter over the left-field fence.

Red Mountain junior Taylor Trowbridge (3-4) was the winning pitcher. Trowbridge allowed three hits, walked five and struck out seven. She got two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, but it got interesting with a walk and sharp single to right moments later. Trowbridge hauled in a first-pitch, pop-up to close it out.

Perry pitcher Autumn Kunze absorbed the tough loss and is 3-3 for the season. Kunze gave up just three hits, walked one and fanned 13. It's the second time this season Kunze has been on the short end of a 1-0 loss. Kunze's other loss was 3-1 in nine innings to Xavier.

Red Mountain returns home for a the first of four successive home region games starting with Dobson on Thursday. Perry's next game is Thursday at Hamilton.