Notes from the North: Softball updates from Flagstaff, River Valley and No. 1-ranked Bagdad

April 14, 2023 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365


The Flagstaff softball team huddles after securing a 15-12 victory against rival Prescott on Thursday, April 13, 2013. The Eagles were down 11-0 at one point but rallied to win. (Flagstaff Softball Facebook page/Courtesy)

FLAGSTAFF — Abby Schmitz was 3 for 3 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored to lead a Flagstaff softball team that trailed 11-0 at one point but stormed back to claim a 15-12 win over rival Prescott on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 12-ranked Eagles (20-5, 8-0 4A Grand Canyon) used a nine-run rally in the third and scratched across four more in the fourth thanks to a two-run homer by Schmitz to take a 13-11 lead that they would not relinquish.

“I’ve never had a game like that since I’ve been coaching here. It was a crazy game,” Flagstaff head coach Ray Hernandez told the Arizona Daily Sun on Thursday after the game.

Olivia Lanssens was 2 for 5 with four RBIs, Reese Elliott was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs and Gracie Schmitz scored five runs in the win.

Cailee Culwell was the other Eagle to hit a home run Thursday as she was 2 for 3 with three runs scored.

The 15-12 win completes the two-game sweep over Prescott for the Eagles, which beat the Badgers 4-2 earlier in the week.

Flagstaff is going for their 10th straight win Friday as they travel to Bradshaw Mountain. Results were unavailable at the time this article was published.

The Eagles will host Bradshaw Mountain on Monday, April 17. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m.

NO. 16 COCONINO 15, LEE WILLIAMS 1

KINGMAN — Danica Kern was 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs, KodyLynn Watson added four hits and the Coconino softball team made things look easy against Lee Williams in a 15-1 win Thursday afternoon.

The No. 16-ranked Panthers (14-5, 6-1 4A Grand Canyon) plated four runs in each of the first two innings, then added six more in the fourth to put the Volunteers away early as they try to keep pace with Flagstaff and Bradshaw Mountain in the 4A Grand Canyon region softball standings.

Alyssa Fockler was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs scored, while Destiny Villas had a double, an RBI and scored three times.

Kaitlyn Tso toed the rubber for Coconino, throwing five innings of five-hit softball while striking out nine Lee Williams batters.

Up next, Coconino has a road trip against Mohave on Monday, April 17. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m.

NO. 10 RIVER VALLEY 15, ALA-WEST FOOTHILLS 0

MOHAVE VALLEY — Carissa Campos may have only been 1 for 4, but she certainly made it count. Her home run and three RBIs helped the Dust Devil softball team plate 10 runs in the first inning in a 15-0 rout over ALA-West Foothills on Thursday afternoon.

It is the 12th straight win for River Valley (15-7, 9-2 3A West), which hasn’t allowed more than one run scored against them in over a month.

Kingman plated five runs in an 18-5 win for the Dust Devils back on March 14. Since then, River Valley has outscored their opponents 180-1, the only run scored by Kingman again, this time on March 27 in a 14-1 loss.

Kennadee Brown was 3 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while Aaliyah Rodriguez had four RBIs.

Sitting at No. 10 in the 3A conference, the Dust Devils await either a rescheduled contest with Tonopah Valley, which may be set for April 18, or the 3A state playoffs, which begin April 29.

NO. 3 ROUND VALLEY 10, PIMA 1

ROUND VALLEY — Liliana Arreola ignited her team offensively from the bottom of the order with three hits, a home run and four RBIs in a 10-1 win for Round Valley softball over Pima on Thursday afternoon.

It is the seventh consecutive win for the Elks (17-4, 5-0 2A North), which have three games left on the schedule, two of which are against region foes Hopi (April 17) and St. Johns (April 21) for a title.

The No. 3-ranked Elks have big wins against 4A Lee Williams and 3A clubs Monument Valley, Holbrook, Snowflake and Winslow.

They are 12-1 in power point games this season. Their only blemish? A 7-6 loss to No. 2 Benson in late March, giving the Elks a 2-1 record against Top 10 opponents this season.

Up 2-1, Round Valley plated six runs in the bottom of the fifth against Pima (7-8, 2-4 2A East). Kelsie Penrod was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and Jaelyn Wright was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.

NO. 1 BAGDAD 19, SAN PASQUAL VALLEY 2

BAGDAD — Sarah Blanton was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, Briah Williams had two hits including a triple and the Bagdad softball team won its fifth straight with a 19-2 win over San Pasqual Valley on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 1-ranked Sultans (15-4, 7-0 1A West) have outscored their last three opponents 61-2.

Kiah Morris hit a homer and recorded three RBIs and Makaela Mendez chipped in with a home run, a triple and three RBIs of her own in the victory.

Bagdad has No. 15 Salome (April 18), No. 8 Antelope Union (April 20) and No. 2 Williams (April 25) on the road to end the regular season.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.