Cienega's Brittany Keiser (No. 3) is greeted by teammates after her inside-the-park home run Tuesday at Cienega High School.
Alexa Cash wasn’t feeling well Tuesday. In fact, she hasn’t been 100 percent in her last three starts for Cienega.
Still, as she did in her 16-strikeout performance Saturday in a 10-0 win over Glendale Apollo, Cash didn’t allow her health to stop her from dominating.
Cash allowed three hits and struck out 15 Tuesday, leading No. 1 Cienega to a 5-0 win over No. 9 Scottsdale Saguaro in the Class 4A Division I quarterfinals.
“I haven’t been feeling too well,” Cash said. “I am not sure what it is, but I wanted to go today.”
Cienega coach Eric Tatham had backup pitcher Brittany Johnson ready to go in case Cash wasn’t able to go.
Her teammates made things easy on her in the fifth inning, scoring four runs. Three of those came from an inside-the-park home run by leadoff hitter Brittany Keiser.
“That’s what is great about Alexa,” Tatham said. “Once she gets staked to a lead, she’s cash money.”
Keiser was equally impressed.
“She was sick all day and having to throw that game was amazing,” Keiser said. “I don’t know of anybody that can do that.”
Cienega plays No. 12 Catalina Foothills in Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal at University of Arizona’s Hillenbrand Stadium.
No. 3 Scottsdale Chaparral 1, No. 6 Sahuaro 0: At Scottsdale, junior Kira White, who was returning from an injury and pitched for the first time in six weeks, kept Chaparral in check for most of the game. White had seven strikeouts. But in the fourth, an error put Kerry Durnan on second base, and two batters later Caitlyn Melnychenko’s drove her in with a base hit for the only run of the game.
“They got the hit when they needed it; we didn’t,” Sahuaro coach Steve Sanchez said.
No. 12 Catalina Foothills 11, No. 4 Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor 4: At Phoenix, Foothills pulled off its second road upset in the playoffs, setting up Thursday’s semifinal with Cienega.
Class 4A Division II
No. 12 Gilbert Perry upset No. 4 Douglas, 6-2, in the 4A-II quarterfinals in Douglas. The Bulldogs ended the season 29-4.
Junior pitcher Erika Tapia finished the season with a 25-2 record and 217 strikeouts.
Girls Tennis
The Pusch Ridge girls tennis team beat Thatcher 5-4 to advance to Friday’s Class 2A/3A tennis semifinals against Phoenix Country Day at the Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale.
The doubles team of Sami Towne and Tanya Hetlinger won the No. 2 match to seal it for Pusch Ridge 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Boys golf
Immaculate Heart’s Ian Patterson shot a two-round 144 for a fourth-place finish Tuesday in the 1A/2A boys golf state championship. Pusch Ridge’s Lou Christensen (146) was fifth.
For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.
Sahuaro pitcher Kira White, pitching for the first time in weeks, was solid in a loss Tuesday at Scottsdale Chaparral.
Brittany Keiser slides into home past the tag of Saguaro's catcher for a three-run in-the-park home run in the fifth inning on Tuesday at Cienega High School.