Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

It didn't matter where Thursday afternoon's softball game was played, given the way Ironwood junior Sara Norton was pitching.

The Eagles ended up with an extra home game because Peoria's field was flooded in the previous 24 hours. And they put on a show, starting with their stalwart in the circle.

Norton struck out 19 Panthers at home, breaking her nine-day-old career high of 18 against Phoenix Sunnyslope. And Peoria made more than enough errors to quell any thoughts of a pitchers' duel in an 8-0 Eagles romp.

"What I did a lot was see if they were close to or far from the plate and adjust and throw inside if they were crowding and outside if they were back," Norton said. "It's really exciting. Every time I play, I try to get more and more. And I have a good defense behind me."

By now, Ironwood (11-4 overall, 7-2 regular season) is used to rolling with the changes. Coach Jami Beebe recently gave birth and has not been with the team for several weeks.

Assistant coach Stephanie Huckins has taken the reins. She and Beebe entered 2018 believing the team could break through after last year's squad finished No. 20 in 5A and fell in a play-in game at San Tan Poston Butte.

Part of that confidence stemmed from Norton's return to health after an injury derailed most of her sophomore season. Plus junior slugger Madison Gomez also is at full strength.

"We knew we could do some stuff this year with the team we had. Bringing them together has made them stronger," Huckins said. "Defensively, they have gotten a lot  stronger. They're not thinking too hard, they're letting their body react instead of overthinking. We set the bar pretty high at the beginning of the season. Maddy was injured for a few games last year, as were a couple other girls."

Ironwood only led 1-0 after three innings. Senior Maia Sharkey was hit by a pitch, as was the next batter. Then she swiped third and home on passed balls.

The Eagles still played as the visiting team, Thursday, leading off each inning. And Gomez led the charge in the fourth, starting the inning with a home run over the right field fence. Gomez later added two singles and is batting .486 this year.

"She's learning to be more patient. It's been a transition for her to not always try to hit it out of the park. She's gotten good solid hits this year," Huckins said.

Norton followed up with a single and Stephanie Morales ran for her, taking second and third bases on a passed ball. Isabele Joslin singled to drive Morales in.

An error moved Joslin into scoring position. Mikayla Chavez drove her in to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.

Peoria (8-10-1, 3-6) sophomore pitcher Andraya Romero settled down, but didn't get much help. Ironwood - which has not received consistent offensive production outside of Gomez and senior Bibiana Acosta - was once again opportunistic.

"That's something we've been building on this season. They've been getting a lot better at that,"  Huckins said.

Foe example, Joslin reached first on a dropped third strike in the sixth. She scooted to third on a throwing error and scored when junior Paige Biallas advanced  on a dropped third strike.

Then Sharkey drove Biallas in following another error. The Panthers' new coaching staff is still trying to figure out this inexperienced group.

"We have a very young team except for the four seniors. Most of these girls are sophomores and we carry three freshmen too," Peoria coach Freddy Castro said. "We just got the team about three months ago and we're still trying to figure out what positions they'll be playing at and who can do certain things for us. We're an up and down team right now."

Acosta and Gomez hit one-out singles in the seventh. Acosta scored on a throwing error.

Then, Gomez scored the final run on a throwing error.

Peoria is on a three-game losing streak but entered the day ranked at #18 in 4A. The Panthers are still in position to reach the play-in round, which is crucial to this year's goal.

"We need to do better. We need to play with pride and more discipline, and play hard all the time. Our goal is to be in the playoffs," Castro said.

Ironwood was ranked #9 in 5A as of Thursday. Lopsided losses to Centennial and Phoenix Arcadia would indicate the team is not quite a contender yet.

But this looks like the Eagles' best team since the 20210 squad reached the 5A-II final four. Ironwood is the Metro Region favorite and a home win against Apollo would go a long way toward bringing that banner home.

"It's really exciting. I think we should do well this season," Norton said.

Ironwood's Madison Gomez rounds third base after hitting a solo home run against Peoria on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at Ironwood High School in Glendale. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]