Softball playoff race revving up
O’Connor blasts Jags 14‑2 in 5
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – The real season begins now. Local 5A and 4A softball teams returned from their spring breaks last week with all eyes staring at the playoff chase.

Boulder Creek, Goldwater and O’Connor begin the bulk of their schedules against 5A Northwest Region teams this week as all three teams will play nothing but league games the rest of the month.

O’Connor enters the final stretch with the best chance to win the region and possibly go far at next month’s state tournament. The Eagles got the upper hand in a major way in the season’s first meeting with Boulder Creek March 27. O’Connor exploded for 14 runs–its sixth double‑digit scoring game of the year–in a 12‑run rout of the Jaguars.

The Eagles entered the week with a perfect 3‑0 region record and a 13‑4 mark overall. O’Connor was one of three undefeated teams in the region to begin play this week, joining Deer Valley (5‑0) and Mountain Ridge (4‑0) with fast starts.

O’Connor will play Mountain Ridge and Deer Valley back‑to‑back on the road April 4 and    10, respectively.

In addition to the loss to O’Connor, Boulder Creek also lost big against Trevor Browne 18‑3 to enter this week with a 6‑5 overall record and 1‑2 region mark.

Goldwater (1‑7‑1, 0‑2), meanwhile, was slated to play three region games this week–against O’Connor, Trevor Browne and North Canyon–with hopes of picking up the team’s first region win of the year.

Falcons hoping for more 2nd‑half wins

CAVE CREEK – After an inconsistent first half of the season with a mostly young team, Cactus Shadows is hoping to consistently earn victories now that the bulk of the Wells Fargo 2 Region season is here.

The Falcons, who had more than a week off from games during spring break, were scheduled to return to action April 3 with a home game against Bradshaw Mountain. Results of the contest were unavailable at press time.

Cactus Shadows (2‑6 overall, 1‑2 region) was also scheduled to make a return trip to Prescott Valley April 5 to play Bradshaw Mountain. The trip will be the first of three straight road games for the Falcons, who won’t play at home again until April 12.