The 10-0, six-inning win over visiting Prescott High School on March 6, meant just a little more to the Mingus Union High School softball team than a 1-0 record in the Grand Canyon Region.
Losing to Prescott [0-4, 0-2] early in the year saw the 2017 title slip away from the Marauders [3-0, 2-0] and into its hands. Their excitement for the rematch manifested itself in the form of 12 hits and senior pitcher Kaycee Williams’ 11 strikeouts, fueling a shutout performance.
“I’m really happy. That’s last year’s region champ, and they took the region from us last year,” Mingus head coach John Brown said. “So to win and to win the way we did, I’m real happy.”
Williams kept the Badgers down from start to finish, striking out six in a row at one point, from the end of the first to the middle of the third inning. Her perfect game got away on a fourth-inning walk, and ultimately finished with a one-hitter. She and the defense combined to retire 11 of Prescott’s first 12 batters.
The second walk, just after the first, set up the Badgers’ biggest threat. But Mingus sophomore center fielder Dylan Sweeney made a diving catch on a troublesome shallow fly ball, then doubled off the runner at second to end the frame.
Williams sent warmup pitches into the backstop between innings, but hardly missed her spots against live batters. As good as her performance was, it did not draw much surprise nor extraordinary praise from the hurler herself nor Brown.
“Last year Prescott took the region from us, so I think we were all really excited to get in here and show them that we’ve been working hard and we’re ready to win it this year,” Williams said. “Today I was just really zoned in and my catcher [sophomore Jasmine Shults] helped me a lot, everything was just working.”
Mingus’ bats got to work right away as well. Senior shortstop Nikki Zielinski led off the bottom of the first with a triple. Two batters later, Williams scored Zielinski when she drilled the base of the left field fence for a double.
Shults doubled that lead on a single, sending home junior courtesy runner Delaney Hartnett. Mingus would not score again until the third frame, but was hitting the ball hard off of Prescott junior pitcher Francesca Larson from the get go to set the tone.
“It’s huge. Our game this year is offense, so we play every inning like it’s nothing-nothing, so we treat it like we have to be real aggressive no matter what the score is,” Brown said. “They show that as soon as they start, and they show it when they finish, so that’s what we want to do this year.”
The Marauders stole four bases and Williams led with two RBI. Bunting, Shults said, was one spot to improve upon. Brown was most satisfied with how his players ran the base paths, but all told stranded six.
“Just super aggressive, we’re taking advantage of any mistakes and making them throw the ball. We get out a couple times doing that, but most of the time we’ll make a steal that we didn’t plan, it just happens,” Brown said.
Mingus freshman Kaylee Watson, courtesy running for Shults after her second of a team-high four base hits, scored the third run on a throwing error by Badgers freshman catcher Danner Cozens. Junior second baseman Ashley McCracken’s bloop single plated junior third baseman Lacey Saravo to make it 4-0.
Leading off the fourth inning, Zielinski hit a solo home run to the same spot she narrowly came up short in the first. Watson scored on another error for the sixth run.
In the sixth inning, Prescott aided the Marauders’ cause. Mingus senior left fielder Bailey Brown’s ground ball was enough to force an error and score Zielinski. Williams’ high line drive could not be handled, scoring Brown. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, consecutive wild pitches let Williams and Watson cross home to end the game in a mercy rule victory.
The Marauders completed the home-and-home series with a 9-2 win on Thursday, March 8. Mingus hosted Saguaro High School and went to Notre Dame Preparatory High School on Monday, March 12, and Tuesday, March 13, respectively, but results were unavailable at press time.
It next plays on Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16, at the Grace Lee Haught Classic in Payson.
