The Sedona Red Rock High School softball team saw something it hasn’t seen a lot of this season — the seventh inning.
On Thursday, April 17, the Scorpions were tied with Parker going into the seventh inning and lost by one, 8-7.
With a 2-19 overall record, the young team isn’t used to making it all seven innings nor is it used to being tied in the bottom of the fifth.
The Broncs, who beat Sedona 9-2 on March 24 on its home field, wasn’t expecting to have to put up such a fight, but the Scorpions came out ready to play, Sedona’s first-year coach Brian Bergner Jr. said.
In the bottom of the first, with the Scorpions down 3-0, senior Kim “Sosa” Desmond stepped to the plate and hit a double, bringing home freshman Angelica Mlynarczyk, making it a 3-1 affair.
Alison Ecklund
Larson Newspapers
The Sedona Red Rock High School softball team saw something it hasn’t seen a lot of this season — the seventh inning.
On Thursday, April 17, the Scorpions were tied with Parker going into the seventh inning and lost by one, 8-7.
With a 2-19 overall record, the young team isn’t used to making it all seven innings nor is it used to being tied in the bottom of the fifth.
The Broncs, who beat Sedona 9-2 on March 24 on its home field, wasn’t expecting to have to put up such a fight, but the Scorpions came out ready to play, Sedona’s first-year coach Brian Bergner Jr. said.
In the bottom of the first, with the Scorpions down 3-0, senior Kim “Sosa” Desmond stepped to the plate and hit a double, bringing home freshman Angelica Mlynarczyk, making it a 3-1 affair.
“Kim [Desmond] had a great game. She really stepped it up,” Bergner said of the team’s only senior on Senior Night.
Desmond didn’t let the pressure of being team leader get to her as she went 2-2 at the plate with a double, a triple and a walk for one run scored and two RBIs.
The Scorpions held Parker from scoring in the second, but the same couldn’t be said for Parker.
With freshman Tayler Beyer waiting on third, freshman Kaia Shire hit a single to bring Beyer home, closing in on Parker’s lead, 3-2.
Sophomore pitcher Jenna Diaz kept her throwing tight as her team’s defense allowed only one run in the fourth.
“Jenna [Diaz] pitched great. She had one of her better performances of the year. She got ahead of the count on almost every batter,” Bergner said.
Despite Diaz’ pitching performance, Sedona found itself down 6-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, but the Scorpions weren’t going down without a fight.
Diaz hit a double early in the line up to bring Desmond home, 6-3.
With junior Haley McCord on third and Diaz on second, freshman Dixie Clickenbeard hit a single, allowing McCord to come home, bringing the score to within two, 6-4.
“We were batting a lot better,” McCord said. “We saw we could win, so we started playing better.”
As luck blew the wind in the Scorpions’ favor, Parker’s defense slipped, allowing Diaz and Clickenbeard to run home, tying the game 6-6.
Parker managed one run early in the sixth, making it 7-6 for a short stint, but was matched by Sedona when it got its turn at bat.
Shire made it home on a single by sophomore Paige Brackin to tie the score again at 7-7, going into the seventh.
In the top of the last inning, Scorpions defense allowed one Parker run, dropping them to 8-7.
At Sedona’s last turn to bat, Diaz and Beyer singled to second and first respectively with no outs.
Clickenbeard popped one to the infield, but the ball dropped between the first baseman and the pitcher, provoking the infield fly rule to be called and the Scorpions on bases advanced to third and second, with one out.
Diaz tried to make it home from third, but when freshman Lila Rodriguiez grounded out to Parker’s pitcher, Diaz was thrown out at home plate by Parker’s first baseman and the game ended there as it was, a close call.
Diaz was at the mound all seven innings, recording eight runs, nine hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.
“That was one of the best games we’ve had,” Diaz said. “We started having fun and then we started playing better.”
Next up, the Scorpions travel to Wickenburg on Wednesday, April 23, to face the defending 3A state champions.
Wickenburg is currently 19-2 overall and 9-0 in the 3A-West region.
Bergner has seen a lot of improvement during the season, he said, and if the girls are focused going into the last game, they can compete with anyone.
First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Alison Ecklund can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 125, or e-mail aecklund@larsonnewspapers.com
