Hawks down Kings in 9th
After Kofa ties game in 7th with 2 outs, Gila Ridge scores 2 in extras
Every time the Gila Ridge softball team took a lead, Kofa came right back. Until the ninth inning.
After the Kings tied the game with two outs in the seventh inning to send it to extras, the Hawks tacked on two runs in their 5-3 win Thursday at Kofa.
“We’ve just been working hard on trying to do our job,” Gila Ridge coach Jamie McGalliard said. “Early in the season, we haven’t necessarily been able to, but we’ve been sticking to the process instead of worrying about the results, and today the process led to the result we liked.”
The Hawks (4-3 AIA) had chances to bust the game open in the sixth and eighth innings, both of which saw them leave the bases loaded without scoring. But in the ninth, with two outs, junior Paige Johnson came through. Johnson hit McKenna Casas and Jenna Etchepare home to break the tie and give Gila Ridge the lead.
Johnson’s at-bat was a war of attrition with Kofa pitcher Sam Morales. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Johnson worked it back to 2-2, then fouled off multiple pitches before sending a line drive into left field.
“That’s our focus — taking our best swing on the best pitch,” McGalliard said. “She was able to fight some tough pitches. … She took a couple close pitches, and then she had something she was able to handle.”
Casas came back out in the ninth and got two strikeouts to earn the victory. She allowed an unearned run over 5 2/3 innings of relief.
“Later in the game, she