By Don Ketchum

Winning the Class 5A Division II softball championship certainly is no lock for Glendale Deer Valley, but unless Lauren Haeger’s right arm falls off between now and Friday night (May 13), the Skyhawks’ chances look pretty good.

Haeger, the dominant pitcher in the state this season, is on a roll heading into the state championship game against Tucson Ironwood Ridge at 6 p.m.

Haeger pitched a two-hitter and struck out 14 as fifth-seeded Deer Valley cruised past Phoenix Pinnacle 9-1 in Wednesday night’s (May 11) Pool B final at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix. Third-seeded Ironwood Ridge captured the Pool A final by edging Scottsdale Chaparral 4-3.

The U.S. Junior National Team member and University of Florida signee has a 25-5 record this season with 398 strikeouts. In Deer Valley’s three tournament wins, she has struck out 44.

Deer Valley (29-6) has shown that it is more than a one-player team, but Haeger has received most of the attention.

“She deserves it. She has earned it,’’ said Deer Valley coach Carl Bakemeier. “She has a great attitude. She knows what she has to do.’’

Haeger struck out 16 in a 1-0 win over Pinnacle in the first round, and accounted for the game’s only run with a home run.

She has pitched in several close games this season, and it has been Deer Valley’s goal to give her a big early cushion.

That occurred against fourth-seeded Pinnacle (28-8) as the Skyhawks scored four runs in the first inning and three more in the second.

Haeger, who was hitting .539 entering the game, served as the leadoff hitter and walked on both occasions. She walked in all five of her trips to the plate and her courtesy runner scored three times.

Katie Renick drove in three runs for Deer Valley and Beani Johnson and Elayna Hoskyns each drove in two runs. Deer Valley had just six hits on the night.

“We put the ball in play early, forced them to make mistakes,’’ said Bakemeier, referring to a pair of errors by Pinnacle in the first inning.

Pinnacle’s run came in the second inning when pitcher Jenna Makis walked with one out, advanced to third on a single by Alley Gens and scored on a passed ball.