The Benedictine Mesa softball team dominated Arizona Christian on Saturday, winning both games to claim the series. The Redhawks took game one in a commanding 9-1 victory before edging out Arizona Christian 9-7 in a thrilling game two.
Game 1:Â
Benedictine Mesa controlled game one from start to finish. Arizona Christian struck first in the opening inning when Landeros grounded out to the pitcher, allowing Miles to score. However, the Redhawks quickly responded in the bottom half, tying the game on Gabrielle Perez's sacrifice fly that brought Brandee Ayala home. Chloe Wright followed with an RBI single, scoring Annaleia Jenkins and giving Benedictine Mesa the lead. Leiana Madrazo's sacrifice fly extended the advantage to 3-1.
The Redhawks continued to pile on runs in the third inning as Madrazo notched another sacrifice fly, bringing in Gabrielle Perez. Amaya Ruiz then added an RBI single to center, scoring Shayera McDaniel and extending the lead to 5-1. The fifth inning saw Benedictine Mesa break the game open. Madrazo drove in McDaniel with an RBI single, and an error allowed Amaya Ruiz to reach base while Madrazo scored an unearned run. Brandee Ayala capped off the offensive explosion with a two-run triple, scoring Faith Hahn and Amaya Ruiz, sealing the dominant 9-1 victory.
Game 2:
Game two was a back-and-forth battle, with Benedictine Mesa overcoming an early deficit to secure the win. Arizona Christian jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning as Lauko launched a grand slam, driving in Landeros, Garcia, and Miles. The Redhawks answered in the bottom of the inning when Gabrielle Perez stole second, allowing him to score on an error.
In the second, Benedictine Mesa capitalized on another Arizona Christian miscue, as Amaya Jenkins reached on an error, bringing in Alexis Lopez to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Firestorm extended their lead in the third with an Bradford sacrifice fly that plated Wagner, making it 5-2. However, the Redhawks responded in a big way, scoring three runs to tie the game. Savannah Howard's RBI single brought in McDaniel, followed by an Amaya Ruiz RBI single that scored Madrazo. Shalya Young's sacrifice fly brought home Howard, evening the score at 5-5.
Benedictine Mesa took the lead in the fourth when Chloe Wright singled to center, advancing to second on an error while scoring McDaniel for a 6-5 edge. In the sixth, the Redhawks tacked on three insurance runs. Gabrielle Perez's RBI single, aided by an error, brought in Annaleia Jenkins. Wright then delivered a clutch two-run single, scoring McDaniel and Perez to push the lead to 9-5.
Arizona Christian made a push in the seventh, as Lauko hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Garcia, and McCracken reached on an error, allowing Landeros to score. However, the Redhawks held on to secure the 9-7 victory and complete the series sweep.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to action on Friday, April 11, as they travel to California to take on Hope International.
