A fast start by Sahuaro's softball squad resulted in a 22-0 win over host Desert View on Friday.

The Cougars put together 12 hits and 11 runs in the first inning, with sophomore Morgan McKeever leading off the game with a double.

The rest of the team followed suit by batting around en route to collecting an insurmountable lead.

"I think this is one of the best hitting teams we've ever had," said Cougars coach Steve Sanchez. "And we've had some good teams."

Sophomore Olivia Harden and senior Jennifer Koenig paced Sahuaro with four RBIs each. Two of Harden's RBIs came in the first inning on a two-run homer over the left field fence. Seniors Jessica Schneider and Rebecca Mullin contributed two RBIs each.

"Olivia's been hitting the ball hard lately," said Sanchez. "The entire team has, but we just need to keep working and keep hitting the ball. We're a senior heavy team so we're very experienced."

Given an early lead, starting pitcher Kaylee Prichett commanded the game on the mound with her hard fastball and deceptively slow off-speed pitches. Coming off a no-hitter in her last start, Prichett retired the first 11 batters she faced, and only allowed two base runners to reach base.

"They (Desert View) have a good hitting team, so I just wanted to get it done," said Prichett. "Some of my pitches weren't working, and in the end, I started to get a little bit comfortable."

Despite his team's loss, Desert View coach Bert Otero was positive saying, "We have great kids here. I'm excited every day to make progress. And all the credit to Sahuaro. They are a great team with great coaches and a great tradition."

Otero also stressed how lucky he feels to be in the position he is in.

"It's a privilege to come and play every day," he said. "For players or coaches, it's a privilege. We'll work our way out of this."

On Monday, Sahuaro will host Rincon/University at 4 p.m. Desert View will travel to Santa Rita to play at the same time.

Good formula: Sahuaro cruises with quality hitting, pitching
Daniel Gaona Special To The Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, March 26, 2010

Sahuaro rolled over Catalina Foothills 11-0 Thursday, registering 13 hits and striking out seven Falcons' batters.

"We got on them early, and our pitchers just threw strikes," Sahuaro coach Steve Sanchez said about Foothills. "That's a good formula. When you get pitching the way we had today, it makes life easy."

The Falcons had an early opportunity with the bases loaded with one out, but a double play ended that threat.

Sahuaro scored six runs in the first inning. Morgan McKeever led off with a triple, and later hit a double in the same inning.

"Our offense was really strong; we just kept hitting the ball," McKeever said. "I hope we can win state. I think if we keep working hard and everything, we'll have a good chance."

Seniors Rebecca Mullin and Kira White shared the pitching duties for Sahuaro. Mullin pitched the first three innings, allowing one hit. White pitched the final two frames, striking out five of seven batters.

"I'm not fully back to where I was, but I'm feeling great," said White, who had hip surgery last summer. "I just want to win it all."

"She's about 85 percent right now," Sanchez said. "She's got to get stronger and work through the pain a little bit."

Sanchez said he feels White can make or break the team.

"Our season and how deep we go in the playoffs all depends on Kira," he said. "If we continue playing offense like this, and Kira comes back the way she can, we're going to be in the hunt."

Sanchez said he hopes she will be back within the next couple of weeks.

The Cougars have six seniors. They used to have seven, but pitcher Courtney McCoy left the team.

"This is my sixth or seventh year coaching, and this is the first time I've had this many seniors," Sanchez said. "That is why we expect to do well, as long as our seniors come through, which I expect them to do this season for us."

Sanchez said he has been impressed with the team's offense.

"We've hit the ball well all season," he said about his 14-3 Cougars. "The games we've lost have been one-run games."

AZ STARNET
Hot Shots

• New Mountain View football coach Justin Argraves' spent last year as the defensive coordinator at Goodyear Millennium. His star player is safety Marquis Flowers, an Arizona commit widely regarded as the top recruit in the state. Argraves played his high school ball at Santa Rita before becoming a coach in that program. He also moved on to Catalina Foothills before briefly accepting the coaching job at Cholla, leaving the program before coaching a game.

• Cienega is the early favorite for the 4A-I state softball championship behind seven future collegians, including ace Alexa Cash. And the Bobcats will have a chance to prove themselves on the national scene during the MaxPreps Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City this weekend.

But another member of the Kino Region, Sahuaro, also appears title-worthy. Ace Kira White will be going to Pima along with batterymate Lauren Hostetler and two other players on the roster, Rebecca Mullin and Jessica Schneider. And outfielder/pitcher Courtney McCoy will play at Trinidad State.

Sahuaro won its first five games of the year and is 7-1 overall. >>>see article