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Kianna Villa picked up the in for Coolidge (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
Junior Softball State Championship
Thursday, July 7: Arthur Pack
MORE PHOTOS HERE
Coolidge beat Marana Thornydale 20-11 Thursday night in an elimination game of the Arizona State Junior Softball Tournament held at the Arthur Pack complex in Marana. Coolidge (2-1) will face the loser of Flagstaff and Queen Creek on Friday night. The winner of that game will advance to the Championship Bracket.
Both teams struggled to put anything together in the early going until Coolidge took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. Tatiyana Rushins paced the team with 2-RBI triple. Thornydale responded with five runs in the bottom half of the third with Elizabeth Allen connecting on an RBI-triple of her own.
Kianna Villa took the circle for Coolidge and she went the distance. She had some difficulty in the third and again in the fourth with Thornydale adding three more runs to take an 8-3 lead but then her team responded big time.
Down 8-3, Coolidge started to get their bats going with three runs in the fifth, 10 in the sixth and four more in the seventh to take a commanding 20-8 lead on Thornydale. Thornydale was able to post three runs in the bottom of the seventh for the 20-11 final.
Taylor Bourguet, Allen and Sarah Donlan saw pitching action for Thornydale. From top to bottom, Donlan went 2-for-5; Molly Proper went 3-4; Bourguet went 3-5 with a double; Sophia Marcinowski had a single; Mackenzie Barney had two hits; Calley Flint had a single; Jordan Hazan had a hit; Libby Holmes picked up two hits and Allen went 2-4 with a triple.
For Coolidge, Rianna Ortiz went 3-5; Villa had a single; Rushins went 2-5 with a triple and a double; Tessa Copeland had two hits; Jonnie Cornett had a single; Precious Skinner had a hit; Andrea Rodriguez had two hits and Vanessa Rodriguez had two hits.
Sunnyside (1-1) will play Mesa Mountain View (1-1) Friday night at 6:30 p.m. in another elimination game.
Sunnyside Majors (Courtesy Photo)
In other action, the Sunnyside Little League softball team defeated Blythe 9-4 in the second round of the winner’s bracket game Thursday night in Fountain Hills. The team will take on Casa Grande on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014 and has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here, on AZPreps365.com and on the pages of the Vail Voice and the Tanque Verde Voice. Contact Andy Morales at AMoralesMyTucson@yahoo.com
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