Estrella Foothills takes championship rematch

This was the game Goodyear Estrella Foothills wanted all along. Against Winslow, for the Division III state title.

For the fourth consecutive season, the two rivals met deep in the state tournament. And this time, it was Estrella Foothills that came out on top with a 12-2 win in the championship game Saturday night at Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix. It was the third time that the two teams met in the title game.

“That’s all we were talking about all last week, was to play Winslow,” said Estrella Foothills senior third baseman Allison Montano. “For them to run-rule us last year (in the state semifinals) killed me. That gave me a big boost.”

This was Estrella Foothills’ third state title game in four years. It also won in 2011.

Montano went 3 for 4, including a three-run triple in the first inning. No. 5 seed Estrella Foothills (33-2) would put the game out of reach after scoring seven runs on eight hits in the fourth inning for a 10-0 lead.

“I just think the girls were so focused,” Estrella Foothills coach Rick Brungardt said. “They had that fire in their belly. They remember what happened last year against Winslow. I think coming in, that gave us a lot of momentum heading into this game.”

Third-ranked Winslow (26-4) scored a run in the fifth to keep hope alive, then another in the sixth, but it couldn’t get any closer.

Winslow has reached the title game five consecutive times, finishing runner-up every time except 2010.

The players wanted to win it even more this season after former coach Becky Barris, who retired after last season, died in a motor vehicle accident in January.

“It hurts a lot more this season because they dedicated this season to Becky Barris,” Winslow coach Kelli Fifelski said. “Alot of them are taking it hard just because of that. They really wanted to win it for her.”