Pitcher contributes to squad’s 16-hit burst

Catalina Foothills catcher Megan Morrison waits for the throw as Cienega's Morghan Doughty scores in the first inning of Thursday's Class 4A Division I softball semifinal game at Hillenbrand Stadium. Cienega won 11-4 to advance to Saturday's state championship at Hillenbrand.

By the time the scoreboard clock at the University of Arizona’s Hillenbrand Stadium flipped to 7:04 p.m., just 34 minutes into the Class 4A Division I softball semifinal game between Cienega and Catalina Foothills, the game appeared over.

So much so that the outfield sprinklers came on.

With top-seeded Cienega up 7-1 in the bottom of the second inning, the resulting five-minute delay in play merely put off the inevitable Thursday night.

Despite No. 12 Foothills’ scrappy effort, Cienega won 11-4 to advance to Saturday’s championship game against Canyon del Oro.

“I expected us to come out strong on offense and I know we were ready,” said junior pitcher Alexa Cash. “I know we’re ready to face anybody.”

The win sets up a highly-anticipated championship showdown at Hillenbrand between No. 1 Cienega (27-6) and No. 2 CDO (32-2) at 6 p.m.

CDO, the two-time defending state champion ranked No. 5 in nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, lost to Cienega on March 30, 1-0.

It is Cienega’s first softball title game. CDO has played in seven, winning five, including the past two.

Despite Cienega earning the tournament’s No. 1 seed, the Bobcats know that as long as the nation’s No. 1-ranked player, Kenzie Fowler, is pitching for CDO, the Dorados are the favorite.

“Everybody is an underdog with CDO,” Tatham said. “We have much respect for CDO . . . but we don’t care who the opponent is. We always talk about if we play our game, we can get the job done. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.”

Cash had an uncharacteristically average pitching performance, but she still did most of the damage for the Bobcats on Thursday.

Cash allowed a season-high eight hits, but didn’t walk anyone and struck out 10.

And Cash had three of her team’s 16 hits: an RBI double in the first inning, a solo home run over the left field wall in the second and an RBI single in the fourth.

Cienega led 11-1 at one stage.

“I just came out trying to do what was best for the team and get us a bigger lead,” Cash said.

Foothills put a first-inning scare into Cienega when a leadoff double by Elise Samoy-Alvarado set up Stephanie Carramusa’s RBI single to center field, giving the upset-minded Falcons a 1-0 lead.

“I wouldn’t be a coach if my heart didn’t go in my throat,” said Tatham of Foothills’ early lead, the first time Cienega had trailed this postseason.

The threat was quickly erased in the bottom of the first when Cienega batted around and took a 6-1 lead off six hits and a pair of Foothills’ errors.

Trailing 11-1 with two outs in the top of the fifth, Carramusa extended the game, and avoided the five-inning, 10-run mercy rule, with a two-RBI single. Foothills scored again later in the inning to pull within 11-4, a more respectable score than the 20-2 loss it suffered to Cienega on April 2.

“Coming off those two (playoff upset) wins to get us to this point, the girls were flying high and we just ran into a buzz saw those first couple innings,” said Foothills coach Mark Brunenkant.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

———

4A-I SOFTBALL TITLE GAME

Who: No. 1 Cienega (27-6) vs. No. 2 Canyon del Oro (32-2)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: UA’s Hillenbrand Stadium

Canyon del Oro pitcher Kenzie Fowler struck out 15 Scottsdale Chaparral hitters Thursday to advance her team to Saturday's 4A-I softball state championship game.

PHOENIX – Kenzie Fowler continued her domination of Arizona high school softball and extended her high school career one final game.

No. 2 Canyon del Oro defeated No. 3 Scottsdale Chaparral 6-0 at Rose Mofford Park on Thursday, giving the Dorados a spot in Saturday’s Class 4A Division I state championship.

Fowler allowed two hits and struck out 15 with no walks, ending a four-game no-hitter streak that earned her ESPN Rise Magazine National High School Athlete of the Week honors earlier in the day.

“As a team, we were ready from the first inning,” said Fowler, who has struck out 74 in the past five games. “When you are that focused, great things happen.”

Fowler improved to 14-1 in state playoff games, having lost in the 2006 state championship to Glendale Cactus as a freshman. Her CDO career record is 104-8.

Chaparral pitcher Rae Ball kept the Firebirds in the game, allowing four hits and one run – a third-inning RBI by Kayla Henry – until the sixth frame, when the Dorados’ offense caught up with her.

CDO (32-2) knocked in five runs off six hits. Taylor Watkins batted in two; Lindsey Weldon, Valerie Mendoza and Felicia Devine each hit in one.

“As a pitcher that’s huge,” Fowler said. “You can’t really ask for anything else when your team steps up that big.”

The run support took any possible seventh-inning pressure off of the star pitcher. Fowler promptly struck out the final three.

“We always want to slam the door on the other team as quickly as we can,” CDO head coach Amy Swiderski said. “It was not only momentum for this game, but it was momentum taking us into the next game.”

CDO will face No. 1 Cienega at University of Arizona Hillenbrand Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m., giving Fowler, who signed to play for the Wildcats, an opportunity to pitch her final high school game where she’ll pitch for the next four years.

“There’s nothing better,” Swiderski said. “We have all these kids (who) have been growing up dreaming about playing on that field. How cool is that?”

It won’t be easy. Cienega beat CDO 1-0 at Cienega on March 30.

In the game, Fowler threw a one-hitter. The run was unearned.

High school sports editor Geoff Grammer contributed to this article.

———

4A-I SOFTBALL TITLE GAME

Who: No. 1 Cienega (27-6) vs. No. 2 Canyon del Oro (32-2)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: UA’s Hillenbrand Stadium

Jenae Leles fields a grounder during practice at Hillenbrand Stadium Tuesday. Arizona plays its first NCAA Tournament game Friday.

During UA softball team practice sessions at Hillenbrand Stadium this week, Jenae Leles tried not to get too sentimental about the soothing confines.

When she looked around the stadium, there was a pang of regret.

“Just one more (game),” yearns the slugging senior Arizona third baseman, whose team faces Tennessee-Martin in Louisville, Ky., on Friday in an NCAA Tournament regional game.

Proper home season closure was denied the Wildcats. The squad never imagined it would play its last game at Hillenbrand on April 26.

The Pac-10 schedule made UA play its last seven regular season games on the road.

And then the NCAA decision denying the Wildcats’ bid to host an NCAA Tournament regional had them feeling cheated.

For Leles, who has 22 of the team’s NCAA record-tying 126 homers, many of them the skyshot variety, it’s a bittersweet affair.

Sweet because she can hardly ask for a more fruitful senior year; bitter for obvious reasons.

“You know, we’re still hoping we get (to host) a super regional,” she says. “That would next be fantastic.”

The notion might put some extra zing in the Wildcat bats as they go through the Louisville Regional this weekend. It could be a good chip on the shoulder to have.

UA has hit the long balls all year, but it’s not what the team focuses on.

“We never try to hit home runs,” Leles said. “That’s not what we’re taught. Our purpose is to drive the ball, make contact. We’ve been drilled with that from the beginning.”

Leles’ dad, John, played tennis at UA.

Leles, from Sacramento, Calif., said she could hardly believe her fortune when UA offered her the chance to join the tradition. Today she admits it’s a lot better to be wearing the red and blue then not.

“I don’t know if playing against Arizona is as intimidating now as it might have been. There is parity in softball,” she said. “But you like to think we still get people to be emotional about playing us. For us, we have to match it.”

Work with physical trainers allowed Leles to bloom into a power hitter.

Her home runs increased by five this year after she led the team with 17 a year ago.

She’s a problem for opposing pitchers because of her strength and the way she owns the plate. She’s taken an appropriate number of bruises for the Cats by being hit by pitches.

Whatever is needed.

Launching balls for homers has made fans notice her, but she wants her game to be grounded: make the tough plays at third base, take a pitch in the ribs when needed, stay consistent.

Arizona has had a different aura this year compared to others, because offense is the team’s strength.

But the pitching has come around in recent weeks.

“We work all year to peak (in) the postseason,” said Leles, who will play National Fast Pitch pro ball with the Rockford (Ill.) Thunder after her UA career.

“Pitching and defense . . . We’re always learning.”

———

NCAA SOFTBALL

UA’s games in the Louisville Regional won’t be on TV, but will be on 1290 AM. Go to www.tucsoncitizen.com/ua_softball for recaps and analysis.

Friday – Game 1: ARIZONA (41-14) vs. Tennessee-Martin (38-22), 1 p.m. Game 2: Louisville (47-9) vs. Purdue (29-18), 3 p.m.

Saturday – Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 a.m. Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m. Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, noon

Sunday – Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m. Game 7: Repeat, if needed, 1 p.m.

Softball is 1st-class sport, but NCAA treatment is not

UA senior first baseman Sam Banister practices at Hillenbrand Stadium. She was named to the All-Pac-10 second team on Wednesday. Stacie Chambers, Brittany Lastrapes and Jenae Leles received first-team honors. Story, 1C

When coach Mike Candrea began taking Arizona to the Women’s College World Series 21 years ago, the event was held in an out-of-the-way place in northern California.

Not San Francisco. Not even San Jose. Nearby Sunnyvale.

The venue for the event? If you’ve ever been to the Sports Park on the Northwest Side, you have the right image in your head.

“A four-field setup. Very basic,” Candrea remembered.

The infields in Sunnyvale had such a crown – designed to promote rain runoff into foul territory – that Candrea, standing in the third-base coaching box, had a hard time seeing plays at first base over the rise of the field.

“You couldn’t see the feet of the first baseman,” he said.

Let’s just say that two decades ago, college softball was just a half step up from the summer youth leagues.

Not exactly first class.

Since then – and Tucson can certainly attest to this – college softball has become one of the most visible women’s sports in the NCAA.

If the Wildcats navigate through the 2009 postseason – which begins at 1 p.m. Tucson time Friday in Louisville – they will end up in a world-class facility in Oklahoma City, in a game on ESPN, probably playing a team from the SEC.

That right there – the venue, the blanket coverage from the worldwide leader in sports and the rise of a powerful conference – are three reasons why softball has gone relatively mainstream in recent years.

Which makes it so frustrating when the NCAA continues to nickel and dime the sport.

“That will always be the case for this sport, no matter what,” Candrea said.

The local sports outrage of the moment is Arizona being sent to Louisville for a four-team regional. Nobody would appreciate having postseason home games more than Arizona fans.

The Wildcats have led the nation in attendance nine of the past 16 seasons. The school averaged a school-record average of 2,458 fans this year.

But the NCAA has 64 spots to fill in the softball postseason, including automatic qualifying spots to smaller Eastern conferences, whose teams have as much shot of winning the World Series as Harvard does the BCS football championship.

The NCAA is a slave to geography in arranging the regional sites, preferring to send one Western team east, rather than send three Eastern teams west. Save a few bucks on air fare.

Softball deserves better.

“From a coaching standpoint . . . I don’t worry about it,” Candrea said. “I just worry about getting the team prepared and going wherever you’re going. Like I tell the kids, at least you’re playing.”

Football and basketball have to pay the freight for everything else, but you would think there would be some loose change in the NCAA’s couch cushions from its TV megadeals.

The NCAA is in the midst of an 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS to televise the men’s basketball tournament. The NCAA and ESPN reached an agreement in the fall on a four-year, $500 million deal for the rights to televise four of the five BCS bowl games, including the title game.

But, apparently, it is too much to ask for the NCAA to send Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State a little farther to Tucson rather than have them play in a regional at Arizona State.

The Sun Devils are seeded one spot below ninth-seeded Arizona and finished 3 1/2 games behind the Wildcats in the Pac-10 standings.

But ASU, not Arizona, gets the home regional because of geography.

Nickels and dimes.

Candrea shrugs.

“I’m too old to fight the battle anyway,” he said.

Someone asked me the other day about my favorite memories across two decades or so of being a sports reporter/columnist in Tucson. My answer was that there were too many to mention, but that, without question, I would rather cover softball than anything else.

Part of that is because the sport is charmingly small. You rarely find oversize egos. You find athletes appreciative of their opportunities.

There are chances to tell untold stories. But the sport isn’t as small as the NCAA makes it out to be this time of year.

It’s a shame there is no college softball at Hillenbrand Stadium this weekend.

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail: agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

Candrea

———

RADIO, ONLINE COVERAGE

UA’s games in the Louisville Regional won’t be on TV, but will be on 1290 AM. Go to www.tucsoncitizen.com/ua_softball for updates.

Friday – Game 1: ARIZONA (41-14) vs. Tennessee-Martin (38-22), 1 p.m. Game 2: Louisville (47-9) vs. Purdue (29-18), 3 p.m.

Saturday – Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 a.m. Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m. Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, noon

Sunday – Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m. Game 7: Repeat, if needed, 1 p.m.

PEORIA – Anthem Boulder Creek mounted a sixth- inning rally Tuesday, coming from behind to beat Sunnyside 4-3 in the Class 5A Division II softball tournament.

“It’s the old cliche,” Sunnyside coach Pete Palomarez said. “Somebody’s got to win, somebody’s got to lose. It just didn’t happen. The better team won today.”

Sunnyside was one of three southern Arizona teams to end their seasons in Class 5A tournaments in the Phoenix-area Tuesday. Salpointe and Sierra Vista Buena were eliminated from the 5A-I tournament.

Going into the fifth with a 3-1 lead, Blue Devil pitcher Mari Contreras loaded the bases but got out of the mess, allowing just one Boulder Creek run.

In the sixth, Boulder Creek’s Tara Wright, who had three hits and three RBIs in the game, tied the score 3-3 with an RBI. With, with the bases loaded again, Contreras hit Boulder Creek’s Melissa Dewitt, bringing in the game-winning run.

Boulder Creek pitcher Michelle Orr kept the Devils’ hitters in check the rest of the afternoon.

“We were off balance all game,” Palomarez said. “We couldn’t figure her out.”

Contreras started the game strong, but Boulder Creek’s patient bats were able to overcome solid pitching. Contreras struck out nine and walked three.

Sunnyside took a 2-1 lead in the second inning off a two-RBI single from Jenessa Martinez.

Sunnyside catcher Desaray Akins hit the game’s lone extra-base hit, a double to right-centerfield, driving in the Blue Devils’ final run.

“We didn’t play well the last couple of games, but that’s not going to take away from the great season we had,” Palomarez said.

Class 5A Division I

No. 6 Salpointe fell to No. 2 Phoenix St. Mary’s 3-0 on Tuesday at Tempe Marcos de Niza High School, ending the year with a 26-10 record. No. 4 Sierra Vista Buena lost 2-0 to No. 1 Mesa Red Mountain, ending the year with a 25-9 record.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Winning regional, ‘matter of coming together,’ slugger Leles says

The Arizona softball team got five minutes Sunday to grouse about not getting to host an NCAA regional.

Then the Wildcats were instructed by coach Mike Candrea to “let it go.”

Arizona was sent to Louisville, Ky., where it opens against Tennessee-Martin on Friday.

“You have to get over the anger,” said UA senior third baseman Jenae Leles, who is second on the team in home runs (22).

There are other immediate matters at hand, like facing the postseason with peak performance and synchronizing all those necessary cylinders – namely pitching and defense to go with the team’s powerful offense.

The next homer by UA will break the NCAA – and school – season record of 126 dingers.

There are variables to consider, such as the humidity. There’s also the fact UA will face opponents that, while not highly rated, are capable of sending the Wildcats home heartbroken.

Leles, whose power shots are legend, said criticism that the Cats are just a bomber team is passe.

“I think we have proved the last few weeks that we can win with pitching and defense, too,” she said. “It’s all a matter of coming together.”

If Arizona tradition still intimidates foes, parity in college softball has diminished it.

“Our job, especially in the postseason, is to get higher than the emotional level of a team we play,” Leles said. “Tradition, though, can motivate us.”

What hurts the most for the seniors is they weren’t prepared to have their season end at home before May, as the weird 2009 schedule demanded.

“But there is still a chance that we can host the super regional next week,” Leles said.

In the meantime, politics means nothing on the field.

“Coach told us to get used to (politics),” she said. “It’s not so much we see it in softball but more than we will see it in life.”

———

LOUISVILLE REGIONAL

Friday

Game 1: UA vs. Tennessee-Martin

Game 2: Louisville vs. Purdue

Saturday

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner

Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner

Sunday

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner

Game 7: Same teams (if necessary)

CDO's Kenzie Fowler threw a fourth-straigh no hitter on Tuesday and the Dorados advanced to the 4A-I softball semifinals.

RELATED: Fowler’s final act a perfect end to great prep career

In the fourth inning Tuesday, Kenzie Fowler and Canyon del Oro were working on a fourth straight no-hitter and the all-world pitcher had struck out all 11 Glendale Cactus batters she had faced.

The hard windup and . . .

The ball went sailing vertically out of her hand, landing behind her.

It was a strange twist of imperfection for the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, who didn’t allow a hit Tuesday in an 8-0 win over No. 7 Glendale Cactus in the 4A-I quarterfinals.

“I haven’t done that since I was 10,” Fowler said of the mispitch.

The no hitter for Fowler and No. 2 CDO extends to four her streak of no hitters, including two games in which she threw perfect games (no hits, no walks, no errors). Fowler struck out 16 hitters in her final game at CDO.

Adding to her domination, she was 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and stole a base. She walked two, giving extra notice that she is human, not bionic.

“She never surprises me,” said head coach and former CDO banner player Amy Swiderski. “She works as hard as any pitcher I’ve seen.”

Fowler said afterward she isn’t interested in keeping up the no-hit streak.

“We don’t know stats,” said Fowler. “The coaches take care of that.”

CDO’s Taylor Watkins doubled and tripled and scored twice for the Dorados, who play No. 3 Scottsdale Chaparral at Phoenix’s Rose Mofford Park in Thursday’s 4A-I semifinals.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

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.

CDO ace has thrown three straight no-hitters

Canyon del Oro High School's Kenzie Fowler pitches part of a perfect game at home in the first round of the Class 4A-I playoffs Saturday. CDO defeated Desert View 10-0. At left is second baseman Lindsey Weldon.

Maybe the four years Kenzie Fowler spent at Canyon del Oro High School are, to many people in Tucson, a mere prelude to her impending pitching career at the University of Arizona.

But the final chapter Fowler is writing for her storybook prep career might make whatever she does at the next level pale in comparison to what is arguably the greatest high school sports career in Tucson history.

It’s certainly the most dominant among those playing a team sport.

The reigning Gatorade national softball player of the year has thrown three straight no-hitters, including two perfect games, all against teams qualifying for the Class 4A Division I playoffs.

Saturday, she led CDO to a 10-0 win over Desert View in the first round of the 4A-I playoffs.

In addition to her pitching, she hit a first-inning home run easily clearing the center field wall (her seventh homer of the season), had a two-run single and was hit by a pitch.

Against Desert View, as she did April 30 against Marana, Fowler struck out 14 of the 15 batters she faced, as both games were called after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

In the three-game streak, Fowler has struck out 43 hitters and dropped her ERA to 0.06 (one run allowed in 125 innings).

And how does Fowler feel about the recent stretch of domination?

“I have a streak?” she asked, genuinely unaware what reporters were asking her about.

When told she had just tossed her third-straight no-hitter, Fowler quickly jumped into safety mode – never saying something that would come across as arrogant or self-serving and certainly never one to offer up bulletin board material.

“Oh, yeah that’s great,” Fowler said. “You know I try to do my best and all that.”

Fowler then went on to talk about how easy it is to pitch knowing the defense behind her will “get to any ball” hit into play – even if she’s rarely giving them a chance to prove that lately – and about how emotional senior day was with her teammates.

Never once would she take the bait lured in front of her to give a me-first answer, only further leading to the reason so many in Tucson seem to be pulling for her.

“Tucson is fortunate to have great softball and you’re going to come across (some great) players,” said Desert View coach Bert Otero, whose team’s season had just come to an end at the hands of Fowler. “But Kenzie Fowler is a special kid.

“It’s not all about softball. It’s about how she carries herself. It’s about being a classy young lady and that’s what you really have to appreciate.”

As much as it may seem like a distant memory now, and as much as us annoying media types repeated the story over and over, it can’t be ignored that the life-threatening medical scare forcing Fowler off the U.S. Junior Olympic team two summers ago that left her hospitalized for nearly two weeks.

After dominating the 4A-I playoffs as a sophomore in 2007 – CDO won four playoff games and a state title by outscoring opponents 14-0 with Fowler throwing every inning – seven inches of blood clots that had formed in her powerful right pitching arm had worked their way toward her heart, only being discovered after her arm began turning purple in a summer workout.

Multiple surgeries later, it appeared Fowler’s life would be saved, but her pitching career was doubtful at best.

Instead, she went on to be named the best pitcher in the country as a junior and only got more dominant as a senior, when she got to finally sign her scholarship papers to play for UA and officially become a Wildcat.

She’s pitched every playoff inning for CDO since she’s been in high school, leading the Dorados to three straight state championship games, including winning the past two titles.

She’s struck out 298 batters and walked 14 this season and has a 22-2 record with both losses coming in 1-0 games.

Her career numbers are equally hard to fathom.

In four years, Fowler has a 102-8 record with 1,403 strikeouts. She’s gone 12-1 in state playoff games with her only loss coming to Glendale Cactus in the 2006 state championship game when she was a freshman.

Cactus, coincidentally, is the team traveling to Tucson on Tuesday to face Fowler in the 4A-I quarterfinals, the final time she’ll pitch at CDO.

Should CDO win the 4 p.m. game, the 4A-I semifinals are Thursday and the state title game is Saturday.

Both games are scheduled to be played in Phoenix, but if both teams are Tucson-area teams, they could be moved to a neutral location in southern Arizona.

How cool would it be if the game was at UA’s Hillenbrand Stadium?

Fowler long ago etched her name atop the list of Tucson’s great prep softball players.

And while the argument can be made some multisport stars of yesteryear did more in multiple sports or stars who went on to storied collegiate and professional careers like Sean Elliott and Fat Lever became more well known, it’s hard to argue anyone ever dominated a team sport quite like Fowler has done.

And with one week left of her high school career, Fowler has every intention of writing the perfect ending.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Kenzie Fowler, who has pitched every playoff inning for Canyon del Oro since she's been in high school, will be playing for the University of Arizona in the fall.

———

FOWLER’S FINAL ACT

Canyon del Oro High School pitcher Kenzie Fowler has saved her best for last. Her stats during her last three games:

No-hitters – 3

Perfect games – 2

Record – 3-0

IP – 17

Ks – 43

BB – 1

ERA – 0.00

NEARLY PERFECT

Kenzie’s Fowler season stats for CDO:

> ERA: 0.06

> Innings: 125

> Earned runs: 1

> Strikeouts: 298

> Walks: 14

> Record: 22-2

> Career record: 102-8

UA pitcher Sarah Akamine and the Wildcats were sent to Louisville, Ky., on Sunday.

RELATED: Future Cat throws third-straight no-hitter

For the second straight season, the Arizona softball team is left stumped and sent packing to start the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 9-seeded Wildcats (41-14), instead of getting a home spot in the NCAA regionals, will be shipped to Louisville, Ky., to play Tennessee-Martin (38-22) in first-round play Friday at 1 p.m.. Host Louisville (47-9) will face Purdue (29-18) about 3 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament, with play continuing through Sunday. The games won’t be televised.

“I have no idea why we didn’t get a regional,” said coach Mike Candrea, who will lead the Wildcats to their 23rd straight NCAA Tournament. UA started 17 of those at home.

An upset loss to Oregon on the road Thursday probably sank the Cats on an otherwise delightful weekend in which they matched the 2001 school season record of 126 home runs.

Wins Friday and Saturday at Oregon State gave them a third-place finish in the Pac-10, identical to last year when they had to travel to first-round regional play at Hempstead, N.Y.

Defending national champion Arizona State, which finished behind UA in the Pac-10 with a 10-11 record and was swept in three games by the Cats, will host a regional instead.

“The kids are disappointed because ASU got a regional,” said Candrea, who has led UA to eight NCAA titles. “But the important thing is we are playing.

“In order to win (the title) you have to win on the road, so we might as well start now. We’re going to forget it and move forward.”

Stanford, which finished behind UA in league play, also will host a regional.

The Cats were ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY/NFCA poll and No. 8 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll last week plus had a NCAA RPI rating of No. 7 before their 2-1 weekend on a loss at Oregon and a two-game sweep at Oregon State.

Louisville was No. 17 in last week’s NFCA poll and 18th in the USA Softball rankings.

“It’s not unexpected, since it happened last year,” Candrea said about not hosting. “(Still) I have no idea what the committee is thinking, to tell you the truth.”

The regional pits the winners of Games 1 and 2 in Louisville in Game 3 on Saturday, with the loser of that game playing later in Game 5, the second elimination contest.

The winner of the Louisville regional will square off against the winner of the Palo Alto regional featuring host Stanford, the No. 8 overall seed. If Arizona and Stanford win, the super regional likely would be held at Stanford.

Tennessee Martin won the school’s first Ohio Valley Conference title to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid.

The Skyhawks are led by pitcher Kara Harper, who is 20-8 and the school’s all-time winningest pitcher with 41 victories.

For host Louisville, Melissa Roth has 14 homers and is three shy of the school’s all-time season record.

Purdue, which finished in sixth in the Big Ten, defeated UCLA earlier in the season. Third baseman Lione Harluchi leads the Purdue offense with a .336 average and 24 RBIs.

Regional notes

• The Wildcats have won regionals on the road in Tempe (1989), Tallahassee, Fla. (1996), Minneapolis (2002) and Hempstead, N.Y. (2008). The Cats won 16 of the 17 regionals played in Tucson, losing only in 2004.

• Arizona is 20-2 in first-round games of the NCAA Tournament in 22 different appearances. The losses came in 1987 to Arizona State at Tempe, 4-3, and to ASU in Tucson in 1990, 1-0.

• Last season, UA assistant coach Larry Ray led the Wildcats to a super regional win over Oklahoma in Tucson to earn the Wildcats’ 20th appearance in the College World Series. Candrea missed the tournament while coaching the U.S. Olympic team, as he did in 2004.

• Arizona finished 13-7 in rugged Pac-10 play for third place behind champion UCLA (16-5) and Washington (14-7). A UA game at Cal was rained out May 1 and the Wildcats finished a half-game ahead of Stanford (13-8).

———

LOUISVILLE REGIONAL

(Tucson times)

Friday

Game 1: UA vs. Tennessee-Martin, 1 p.m.

Game 2: Louisville vs. Purdue, about 3 p.m.

Saturday

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 a.m.

Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, noon

Sunday

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m.

Game 7: Same teams (if necessary), 1 p.m.

———

SCOUTING UA’S REGIONAL FOES

Tennessee-Martin

Nickname: Skyhawks

Conference: Ohio Valley

Record: 38-22, 13-10 conference

Top pitchers: Kara Harper, 20-8, 1.70 ERA, 98 strikeouts; Palj Lintz, 11-7, 1.91 ERA, 100 strikeouts

Top hitters: Megan Williams, .340, 34 RBIs; Jenny Bain, .325, 14 HRs, 34 RBIs.

Did you know? This is the first NCAA softball tournament bid for the Skyhawks.

Louisville

Nickname: Cardinals

Conference: Big East

Record: 47-9, 19-5 conference

Top pitcher: Kristen Wadwell, 40-8, 1.39 ERA, 244 strikeouts

Top hitters: Melissa Roth, .431, 16 HRs, 51 RBIs; Chelsea Bemis, .382, 8 HRs, 43 RBIs.

Did you know? Louisville fell 3-0 to Notre Dame in the Big East semifinals.

Purdue

Nickname: Boilermakers

Conference: Big Ten

Record: 29-18, 12-8 conference

Top pitcher: Suzie Rzegocki, 23-11, 1.40 ERA, 184 strikeouts

Top hitters: Liane Horiuchi, .348, 2 RBIs, 12 doubles; Candace Curtis, .305, 27 RBIs, 13 doubles

Did you know? Dana Alcocer, a former Canyon del Oro High and Pima Community College pitcher, has a 4-7 record with a 4.85 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 73.2 innings for Purdue.

———

TOP 16 SOFTBALL SEEDS

1. Florida. 2. UCLA. 3. Washington. 4. Alabama. 5. Michigan. 6. Georgia. 7. Oklahoma. 8. Stanford. 9. ARIZONA. 10. Arizona State. 11. Ohio State. 12. Northwestern. 13. Tennessee. 14. Georgia Tech. 15. DePaul. 16. Florida State

The University of Arizona softball team dropped its third straight game Thursday, losing 2-1 at Oregon in 10 innings.

Lindsey Chambers hit a one-out double to score her twin sister, Kelsey, to give the Ducks (16-32, 3-16) the win.

UA (11-7, 39-14) was in first place in the Pac-10 last week, but has fallen to fourth. The Wildcats trail first-place UCLA by two games.

Sarah Akamine (18-6) went the distance for UA, allowing seven hits and striking out 10.

Oregon’s Sam Skillingstad picked up the win, striking out eight in 10 innings.

UA got its only run on Stacie Chambers’ 27th homer of the year in the fifth to tie the game at 1.

Chambers, Brittany Lastrapes and Lauren Schutzler all had two hits for UA.

The Wildcats play at Oregon State at 3 p.m. Friday. UA will then wrap up its season with a noon game Saturday at OSU.

• Junior catcher Chambers is one of 10 finalists for the national player of the year award.

The award is sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association of America, which is the national governing body of softball.

The three finalists will be announced May 20, while the winner will be announced prior to the start of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City next month.

Cienega's Alexa Cash is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against Sahuaro on Monday at Cherry Field.

Cienega High School junior Alexa Cash was called on to do more than just pick up her 17th pitching win of the season Tuesday.

Fighting flulike symptoms, Cash not only pitched, but stepped into the lineup to hit after designated player Stephanie Tatham was taken to the hospital after taking a grounder to the face in pregame warm-ups.

Cash came through in both roles, striking out six and throwing a four- hitter to go along with hitting a two-run homer in a 5-2 win over Sahuaro to claim the Class 4A Kino Region tournament championship at Cherry Field.

“I feel so bad that Stephanie (got hurt), but I was excited and I just wanted to hit,” said Cash. “We have our first game on Saturday (in the state playoffs), so we really wanted to set the tone.”

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cash belted a 2-1 pitch from Sahuaro’s Kaylee Prichett over the left field wall for her second home run of the season.

The Bobcats (24-6) will be the No. 1 seed in the 4A Division I state tournament. Brackets are expected to be released Wednesday.

Prichett picked up the loss for the Cougars after starting in the circle for Courtney McCoy, who fell ill a few hours before the game and was taken to the hospital, according to Sahuaro coach Steve Sanchez.

“She (Prichett) has to be able to answer the call,” Sanchez said. “She did a good job, we’re proud of her and we have to move on.”

Sahuaro will likely be the No. 6 seed in the tournament.

Canyon del Oro 4, Cholla 0: At Cherry Field, CDO ace Kenzie Fowler struck out 15 and threw a no-hitter, winning the fourth 4A Sonoran Region championship of her high school career.

Douglas 11, Sahuarita 1: After winning its first regular season softball region title in school history, Douglas followed up with a dominating win in the 4A Gila Region championship game at Cherry Field.

5A-I state playoffs

Sierra Vista Buena’s Carissa Youngblood hit a game-winning RBI single to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring Kaitlin Wilson, as the No. 4 Colts advanced in the 5A Division I winners’ bracket with a 2-1 win over No. 12 Scottsdale Desert Mountain.

Buena’s Shannel Blackshear broke a scoreless tie with a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Meghan McIntosh struck out 13 batters with no walks for the win.

The Colts will play No. 16 seed Phoenix Xavier on Saturday at Tempe Marcos de Niza High School.

No. 16 Rincon/University 10, No. 9 Surprise Willow Canyon 1: In the 5A-II elimination bracket, the Rangers prevailed behind Mercedes Garcia, who went 4 for 4 with four RBIs and Kelsi Redding who struck out 10 batters.

Rincon plays No. 4 seed Yuma Cibola at the Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Sahuaro's Rebecca Schneider tries to tag out Cienega's Ashlee Brewley as she slides back to third base during the first inning of Tuesday's game at Cherry Field. Cienega won 5-2.

Sahuarita catcher Lysandras Gomez grabs a late throw home as Palo Verde's Sophia Martinez scores during the semifinals of the Class 4A Gila Region softball tournament at Cherry Field on Monday. Sahuarita won 12-11 to advance.

The Sahuaro High girls softball team advanced to the finals of the Class 4A Kino Region tournament, but it took extra innings to get the job done.

The No. 2-seeded Cougars defeated No. 3 Sabino 4-3 in eight innings.

Morgan McKeever led off the bottom of the inning with a double and after being bunted over to third, she scored on Jessica Schneider’s sacrifice fly.

Sahuaro will play No. 1 Cienega at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Cherry Field.

No. 2 Sahuarita 12, No. 3 Palo Verde 11: The Mustangs scored two runs in the seventh to advance in the 4A Gila game. Sahuarita will play No. 1 Douglas at Cherry Field at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Baseball

The Nogales offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Trailing 2-1, the Apaches scored five runs in the inning and went on to the 8-3 victory in the semifinals of the 4A Kino Region tournament.

Juan Espiricueta pitched four innings and struck out seven. He helped his own cause with a home run. Nogales will play No. 1 Cienega at Cherry Field at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

No. 3 Amphi 10, No. 2 Douglas 3: In the 4A Gila semifinal, Alan Sandoval pitched a complete game for the Panthers. Amphi will play No. 1 Sahuarita at Cherry Field at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Douglas High's Katie Campbell tags Catalina's Amber Bonnette in the first inning of Thursday's game at Catalina. Douglas won 24-4 in five innings, completing a 12-0 season against 4A Gila Region opponents.

Douglas used a 16-run second inning in a 24-4, five inning win over 4A Gila Region foe Catalina, putting the exclamation point on the school’s first region title.

Douglas, which has had a softball team since the 1979-80 season, clinched the championship Tuesday. Thursday’s win completed a 12-0 region schedule and improved the Bulldogs overall record to 27-3.

Pitcher Erika Tapia improved to 23-1 and Douglas won its 18th-straight game. Douglas outfielder Victoria Mariscal had two doubles and a first-inning grand slam against Catalina.

Canyon del Oro 12, Marana 0 (5 innings): At Canyon del Oro, seniors Kenzie Fowler and Katie Asher finished the regular season in style.

Fowler, the future University of Arizona pitcher, threw a perfect game, striking out 14 of the 15 she faced in the five-inning, run-rule game. The win pushed her season record to 20-2.

Asher, the power-hitting third baseman going to Oklahoma State next year, hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning.

Baseball

The season hasn’t gone the way the Palo Verde baseball team would have liked.

But Thursday did as the Titans beat 4A Gila Region regular season champion Sahuarita 6-5 in nine innings.

With the Titans trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Palo Verde’s Cameron Gause, who was 4 for 4 on the day, hit a two-RBI, bases-loaded single to pull his team within 5-3.

After a double steal, Sahuarita intentionally walked a Palo Verde hitter to face Zach Moreno with two outs and the bases loaded.

“I told him to take that personally,” said Palo Verde coach Jim Mentz.

Moreno, a sophomore third baseman, responded with “a bullet to right centerfield” that scored two and tied the game at 5, Mentz said.

Moreno, who also hit the game-winner with the bases loaded earlier this season against then first-place Douglas, wasn’t done.

With the bases loaded again in the bottom of the ninth, Moreno laid down a suicide squeeze bunt between the pitcher and first baseman. Gause scored from third base for the game-winning run.

Palo Verde pitcher Charlie Causbie (6-1) threw 138 pitches to pick up the complete-game victory in nine innings. He struck out nine and allowed seven hits.

Sahuarita senior Tony Hilderbrand hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.

Tennis

Desert Christian’s Josh Gleason (singles) and the doubles team of Scott Waller and Caleb Steele won 2A/3A South Region championships Thursday at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort.

Pusch ridge senior Tanya Hettlinger won the singles title in the girls tournament.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Cats savor sweep of ASU after losses last season

Arizona State's Michelle Nulliner slides into second as Arizona's Victoria Kemp tries to turn the double play at Farrington Stadium in Tempe on Wednesday. A pair of wins over the Sun Devils put Arizona in a good position to host a postseason regional tourney.

TEMPE – The Arizona softball team had been angry for the past year.

The Wildcats were upset when Arizona State swept them for the first time in 20 years last season. Wednesday night, No. 7 UA exacted revenge.

UA secured the season sweep over the Sun Devils with two victories at Farrington Stadium.

“It feels good,” said UA second baseman Victoria Kemp, who had two home runs between the two games against No. 6 ASU. “It was a team effort. It’s not just one person.”

The Wildcats won the first game, a continuation of a rain-postponed contest that began April 11 in Tucson, 3-2. They won the second game 10-6.

“This hurts,” ASU center fielder Katie Cochran said, “but we just have to move on from this and learn as a team because that’s all we can do.”

The wins moved UA (39-11, 11-4 Pac-10) into first place in the Pac-10, a half-game ahead of UCLA. The Wildcats are in a good position to host an NCAA regional.

UA has six more Pac-10 games left, and all are on the road, starting in the Bay Area this weekend.

The first contest was a pitcher’s duel The teams combined for only four hits when the game was resumed in the bottom of the third inning.

Sarah Akamine (18-5) picked up the win, allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out seven.

Kemp homered in the fourth inning to put UA up for good. She was 2 for 3 at the plate, as was Lauren Schutzler.

The second game was a slugfest. UA posted four hits and five runs in the first inning.

Their first inning was powered by two home runs, one from Jenae Leles and the other from Kemp.

ASU (37-13, 7-8) came back to tie the game in the third inning, but UA scored three runs in the fourth and held the lead the rest of the way.

“You never like to lose against UA,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “We didn’t play as well as we can. You’re not going to win games like that.”

Lindsey Sisk improved to 12-3 despite allowing nine hits and five runs in 6 1/3 innings in the second game.

Brittany Lastrapes had three hits for UA, while driving in three runs. Leles posted three RBIs.

———

PAC-10 STANDINGS

School Conf. Overall

Arizona 11-4 39-11

UCLA 10-4 35-8

Stanford 10-5 41-6

Washington 8-6 35-9

California 8-7 32-15

Arizona State 7-8 37-13

Oregon State 3-12 24-25

Oregon 2-13 15-29 UP NEXT: Arizona at California, 1 p.m. Friday