We’re down to the Final Four in 5A-I softball: The No. 1 seed (Basha), No. 2 (Corona del Sol), No. 5 (St. Mary’s) and No. 6 (Xavier).
Anyone surprised by who’s still standing?
It’s back to Rose Mofford Softball Complex on Wednesday for the 5 p.m. semifinal matchups, but if you can’t wait until then, Horizon and Pinnacle are playing a couple tough matchups (Deer Valley and Sunnyside, respectively) tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Moff.
Don’t forget: Basha and Corona del Sol went through the winner’s bracket (Xavier and St. Mary’s already lost once in the tournament), so if the Bears or Aztecs lose their first game, the same two teams play one more sudden-death game immediately following game 1.
Here’s a quick glance into the future:
St. Mary’s vs. Basha: Besides the big-time pitcher’s duel (Dallas Escobedo and Samantha Parlich), the best part of this matchup is, for once in a blue moon, these two teams haven’t faced each other this season. The Knights are defending 5A-I champions and returned almost everyone (the Knights added a couple freshmen who’ve made a difference in this tournament at the bottom of the lineup). The Bears reached the semifinals last year but lost twice to Buena, and returned almost everyone.
The big question: Can Basha score two runs? Three would be gravy, but Escobedo has allowed two runs in 33 IP this postseason. The Bears got a pair of runs in one inning against Red Mountain in the quarterfinal game, and it was enough for Parlich and the defense, but the Bears haven’t seen a pitcher with Escobedo’s stuff.
Xavier vs. Corona del Sol: At least these two teams have only met once this season, a 5-0 win by Xavier in late February. I don’t think that previous meeting matters much, especially given how well Xavier’s played in the last week and how good Corona del Sol is hitting in this tournament. Stephanie Janes has been terrific, and she’s more of a “lights-out” pitcher than Corona’s Jamie Pollak and Marina Caroll. They each share the most recent common opponent in Buena. The Aztecs outslugged Buena on Saturday. The Gators completely shut down the Colts’ sluggers on Monday.
The big question: Can Janes keep throwing her changeup for strikes? If so, as she did against Buena, her fastball, riseball and changeup are a dominating trio. Both teams’ defenses will be on the spot, as Corona doesn’t strike out often and the Gators should put balls in play on the Aztecs. If Janes can do it again from the circle, the Gators have a chance to score runs.
And, yes, Corona coach Jeep Ray (and a couple players) saw Xavier’s fake-overthrow trick-play attempt early in Monday’s game.
That’s one amateur’s view. Who do you think will win? Why?
