SURPRISE, Ariz. – Day 1 of the 2020 Spirit Classic saw plenty of opportunities for history to be made in many different aspects. As the old saying goes, history is written by the victors, and the Spirit scripted a couple of performances that will last a long time.
The Spirit swept its portion of the showcase at Willow Canyon High School, defeating Park-Gilbert 7-3 in the opener, and taking down 19th-ranked College of Idaho 6-5 in the nightcap. OUAZ's 3-1 record is the best start to a season in program history, and the win over College of Idaho is the second against a ranked team in program history.
OUAZ 6, (19)College of Idaho 5
The Spirit jumped out to a huge lead in the fifth inning, scoring five of its six runs in the bottom half. College of Idaho got the first two outs rather quickly, but OUAZ's resilience shined through. Cherish Paolinello reached on a fielding error, and the bases were loaded quickly after that thanks to a
Jada Cruz single and a
Samantha Miller walk.
Kelly Stumper dumped the second pitch she saw off the bench into right center to drive two home, and
Avery Bohn drove in the next two with a single to left.
The Spirit carried the 6-1 lead into the sixth, where the Yotes scored four thanks to a Martha Tooley single and a two-out, three-run home run by Aleah Mendiola. The round-tripper cleared the bases, and Spirit pitcher
Bailey Coronado got the final out of the inning to stop the momentum.
Outside of the tough sixth inning, Coronado was excellent in the circle. She stuck out 11 batters, which is tied for the second most in school history. She only allowed five hits over the full seven innings, and the win is her second complete game in as many starts this season.
OUAZ 7, Park-Gilbert 3
The day's opening game was the first ever in Park-Gilbert's program history. The Spirit were not to kind to the Buccaneers, as OUAZ complied ten hits on the afternoon. Every player to get a hit in the game had two, plus
Rachel Stockseth and
Jorden Jefferson each drove in two runs.
It was a tandem in the circle for the Spirit, as
Phoebe Popplewell and
Alexandra McCutcheon scattered eight hits over the seven innings and walked only one batter. McCutcheon was fantastic in relief, as she only allowed two hits in the final 3.1 innings. Popplewell had to navigate some traffic on the bases as she gave up eight hits, but only allowed one run and did strike out four batters without issuing a free pass.
The Spirit will go for the sweep of College of Idaho on Friday afternoon in Surprise. They will wrap up the showcase later that evening in a rematch with Park-Gilbert at 5pm. All games on Friday will take place at Willow Canyon High School.
