The Fountain Hills High School softball team won a 16-12 thriller at home over region opponent Chino Valley last Tuesday, April 12. The Falcons were down even after hitting two early home runs, but their offense came alive late and scored six runs in the sixth inning to secure the win.

Chino Valley scored one run in the first and the second innings, and junior Mia Duda hit a solo home run in the second to get the first run for the Falcons. The Cougars scored three runs in the third and built up a 5-1 lead.

Senior Nicolette Barker and sophomore Hailey Chandler each got on base with singles in the bottom of the third inning. The Falcons had two outs when senior Michaela Quintana hit a homerun and made the game 5-4.

“Nothing too crazy or different,” Quintana said. “It’s all about momentum with us. Once one person starts, it’s kind of a chain reaction.”

After the three-run inning in the third, the Falcons tied the game 7-7 in the fourth, and took a 10-7 lead in the fifth. The only over-the-fence hit after the third was a ground rule double by freshman Shania Rivera, but the Falcons ended the game with 18 total hits and had their way at the plate.

“Quality at bats. Sitting on deck, watching the ball, getting good, quality at bats,” head coach Lawrence Hughes said. “Mainly, everybody is stepping up, that’s what’s huge. Rivera had a heck of a game today. She put in two RBIs, Michaela had five, and Kalista [Johnson] had four.”

According to Quintana, who returned after missing one game for sickness, the whole lineup was playing well and the Falcons won through “small ball” play.

“Hailey, who I think is one of best hitters on the team, easily, she started slapping this year,” Quintana said. “She finally started getting a piece of the ball a week and a half ago, so today was a big day for her. Her consistently getting on and putting small things in play, I think that really set us up for good momentum to just roll us on through the game.”

Chandler led the Falcons with four hits and added two RBIs and three stolen bases. Quintana, Rivera and Johnson each had three hits, and together the three accounted for 11 of the team’s 15 RBIs.

The Falcons exploded for six runs in the sixth inning, and their defense limited Chino Valley to two runs in the seventh. The Falcons had another nice outing from Barker, who threw five strikeouts and zero walks on the day.

The Falcons had won two in a row and were confident going to Bourgade Catholic the next day, Wednesday, April 13. However, the Falcons’ offense was jammed by faster pitching from the Golden Eagles, and they lost 10-0. The Falcons got three team hits against Bourgade, 15 fewer than their win the day before.

The Falcons needed to win to keep their playoff chances favorable. At the time of writing, the Falcons are ranked No. 23 in the state, which has the Falcons as the second lowest seed in the play-in tournament on April 30.

Hughes won’t change his approach or expectations for the remainder of the season. Hughes wants to see the Falcons win out and compete to the highest degree in their last few games.

Yesterday, Tuesday, April 19, the Falcons hosted No. 6 Northwest Christian. This Friday, April 22, the Falcons will host No. 9 Wickenburg at Fountain Hills Middle School at 3:45 p.m.

Next Monday, April 25, the Falcons will travel to Camp Verde, a team they’ve beaten twice already this season. Finally on Wednesday, April 27, the Falcons will travel to No. 31 Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Tucson for the final game of the regular season at 6 p.m.