Citizen Staff Writer
HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP
GEOFF GRAMMER
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
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.