Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

After waiting 11 innings for the decisive run Saturday, Centennial softball and junior ace Sydnie Sahhar could play with ease in Thursday's elimination game at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix.

Sahhar allowed one base runner but then made short work of #15 San Tan Poston Butte in the first inning. She and her teammates came through in the bottom half of the first, building a 3-0 lead.

That was more than enough for the pitcher and this maturing group of Coyotes. Junior shortstop Dren Meginnis lead the offense with three hits and #6 Centennial took advantage of eight Broncos errors in the 9-0 rout.

"We were not going home. It's always a big thing to score runs in the first inning and that just hyped us up even more," Meginnis said. "We  definitely relaxed. And when we score runs for Syd, she's relaxed and pitching her game. She's great."

Centennial (21-9-1) moves on to another elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Mofford complex against #7 Buckeye Verrado (22-7). The Vipers defeated the Coyotes 7-3 on March 19 in Peoria.

But Randy Kaye's team enters the rematch feeling much better about its bats. Following the aforementioned 1-0 extra-inning epic against #11 Marana Mountain View on April 28, the lineup again only produced one run in a 7-1 loss to #3 Vail Cienega on the defending champs' home field May 1.

"The last two years, (Verrado) has beaten us each time. For some reason, we don't hit them very well. But I hope things change," Kaye said.

Meginnis led the break out, getting to second base on an error to lead off the first. Sahhar  smacked a comebacker off Poston Butte junior Lindsay Lopez just past her glove for a single.

With two outs, junior Hailey Galvez hit a laser off the third baseman's glove and into left field, driving in Meginnis. Sophomore Aubrey Maya reached on a fielding error, allowing junior pinch runner Natalie Vasquez (running for Sahhar) and Galvez scored for the 3-0 advantage.

"Sydnie has been hitting the ball hard in the last couple games so we actually moved her to the No. 3 hole," Kaye said. "I gave Hailey the hit-and-run sign, basically taking the thought process out of it. She went after the first pitch and she smoked that ball. That was big for us. If we had runners in scoring position and came away without scoring a run, it changes the game."

That was at least two more runs than Sahhar needed. She took a no hitter into the seventh, which Poston Butte (22-10) senior Taylor Strupp broke up in her team's last gasp.

Sahhar finished the complete game with 13 strikeouts and two walks.

"The way Sydnie is pitching, it was fun to watch," Kaye said.

The Coyotes exploded in the bottom of the third. Freshman Chloe Hetrick scored on the combination of a Meginnis hit and a throwing error. Then senior Natalie Del Ponte drove Meginnis in to give Centennial a 5-0 lead.

That was only the start of the five-run four-hit fourth inning. Three Poston Butte errors did not hurt. Centennial tacked on one more in the bottom of the sixth.

Lopez had been one of the more impressive pitchers in the 5A postseason, as the Broncos beat Gilbert Williams Field 4-0 in the play-in game. Then she sent shockwaves through the bracket in a complete game shutout of #2 seed Gilbert Campo Verde on April 28.

"I was locked in on this pitcher. But she threw hard. She's a really good pitcher that's going to do great things in college," Meginnis said. "She was throwing outside. So I just shortened up (my swing) and dialed in."

Centennial's Sydnie Sahhar throws a pitch against Poston Butte on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]