Goodyear ran through the Arizona State Junior Softball Tournament held a couple of weeks ago at the Arthur Pack Complex by an average score of 17-2 and the District 2 representative was expected to need to battle a bit more to capture the West Region Tournament held this past week at the same park here in the greater Marana area and the team was tested right away by the Washington state champion, RUG Little League.
RUG (Roosevelt, University and Green Lake) fell to Goodyear 7-6 in the first round of regional play on Saturday morning after giving up an early 4-0 lead and later leaving the tying run at third base in the top of the seventh inning. RUG (9-2) fought back through the elimination bracket by winning five games in four days to set up the championship rematch with Goodyear (9-0) Wednesday morning.
The game remained close until Goodyear plated five runs in the top of the third and nine more in the top of the sixth to make it 14-1. RUG displayed some of the fight they had to get back to the championship by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to avoid elimination via the run-rule and then three more in the bottom of the seventh for the 14-9 final. This was the first state championship at this level for RUG and for Goodyear.
Arizona (Goodyear) pitcher Aliyah Fatigoni and catcher Ava Raines recap their run to the Junior League World Series pic.twitter.com/rXsipLOtjJ
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 24, 2024
Noelle Schuyler went 2 for 3 for RUG with two RBIs and Ruby Hughes had a double. Hughes, Genevieve Bell and Hazel Schaedig saw action in the circle. Amelia Raines went 2-3 for Goodyear and Aliyah Fatigoni picked up 10 strikeouts in the victory.
Goodyear manager Tim Raines played in two MLB World Series runs and coached in another. He will be coaching his Junior Softball squad, and his daughters, in the Little League Junior Softball World Series pic.twitter.com/STNKHpbyr3
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 24, 2024
Goodyear is managed by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines Sr.. Raines was the first base coach for the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox and he won two World Series championships as a player with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998.
Goodyear will now represent the West at the Junior League Word Series set to start on Sunday, July 28 in Kirkland, Washington. The team will face Asia-Pacific (Manila) at 10 a.m. on that first day on ESPN+.
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