The Benedictine Mesa softball team produced timely offense and multiple momentum-shifting swings on Friday, but early defensive miscues and late-inning rallies by OUAZ proved costly as the Redhawks dropped both games of the doubleheader in Surprise. GAME 1: 
Benedictine opened Game 1 with promising offensive pressure. Annaleia Jenkins ripped a double to start the afternoon, and the Redhawks put another runner in scoring position when Shayla Young stole second. But OUAZ escaped the inning, and the Spirit capitalized on two first-inning throwing errors to take an early 2–0 lead.

The Redhawks chipped away in the third. Jenkins drew a walk, Young followed with her second free pass of the day, and Leiana Madrazo delivered a clutch RBI double to center. Jenkins scored easily, though OUAZ cut down the trailing runner at the plate to limit further damage.

Trailing 2–1 in the fifth, the Redhawks unleashed their best offensive frame of the game. Emma Tufnell led off with a double, and Jenkins stepped up and crushed a two-run homer to straightaway center to give Benedictine its first lead of the day. Young followed immediately with a solo blast of her own, pushing the Redhawks ahead 4–2.

OUAZ answered with a two-run homer in the bottom half to tie the game, then took the lead in the sixth on a solo home run and a two-run triple, moving ahead 7–4.

Benedictine mounted one final push in the seventh. Young singled, Madrazo doubled, and Mackenzie Larson delivered an RBI single up the middle. An errant throw home allowed Madrazo to score as well, cutting the deficit to one. Larson moved into scoring position, but the comeback stalled as OUAZ secured the final two outs. GAME 2: 
Benedictine again struck early in Game 2. After Jenkins reached on an error, Young executed a sacrifice bunt, and Madrazo bunted for a hit before stealing second. Jasleen Calderon delivered a two-run single to center to put the Redhawks ahead 2–0.

OUAZ responded with a five-run first inning, capitalizing on two defensive errors and a pair of RBI hits to take a 5–2 lead.

The Redhawks answered in the third. Madrazo reached on an error and advanced on a throwing miscue, then Chloe Wright drove her in with an RBI double to center. Olivia Chavez followed with a run-scoring double of her own, pulling Benedictine within 5–4.

OUAZ claimed momentum again in the bottom half with back-to-back home runs and added two more runs later in the inning on a pair of hits to extend their lead to 10–4.

Benedictine scratched across another run in the fourth when Jenkins singled, stole two bases, and scored on a misplayed fly ball in left, cutting the deficit to 10–5.

But OUAZ continued to apply pressure at the plate. A four-run home run in the fifth put the game out of reach as the Spirit sealed the win.