Sunnyside ace Mari Contreras did not sense the fire. So she brought the heat.
Despite a less-than-powerful showing from the Blue Devils in the box — they manufactured just three hits, all singles — Contreras was sharp enough in the circle to mask the weak offense.
She struck out 10 of the final 12 hitters she faced Thursday as Sunnyside edged Rincon/University 2-1.
"We're having problems hitting that we haven't figured out," said Contreras, a 5-foot-9-inch pitcher who has committed to Central Arizona next year. "And it looked like we weren't playing like we cared for a while. Everyone needs to start playing harder from the beginning if we're going to be really good."
The Blue Devils ran their record to 16-2 after claiming their 5A-II Southern Region opener. Rincon (15-8, 1-1) is not exactly a pushover.
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"Our pitching and defense, we'll take against anyone. The hitting hasn't caught up to the pitching and defense," said Sunnyside coach Pete Palomarez. "But beating that Rincon team isn't easy. That is a playoff team."
Sunnyside was the first to score, doing so without a hit in the third. Contreras drew a walk from Rincon pitcher Kelsi Redding before back-to-back errors loaded the bases. That set up Amanda Spradling's run-scoring groundout.
Rincon responded right away.
Virginia Baygents led off the fourth with a double down the right field line. Mercedes Garcia followed with a bunt single, advancing Baygents to third.
Rangers coach Monica Montijo then opted to roll the dice, asking Redding to square around for a squeeze bunt. And Redding did just that, forcing a charging Contreras to make a difficult throw to the plate, which went through the glove of catcher Miranda Soto.
"Every single player ... has shown at one moment or another this year, that they can come through in big situations," said Montijo. "That's the great thing about this team."
Contreras then struck out all but two of the batters she faced the rest of the night. She finished with 16 strikeouts.
Sunnyside scored the game-winner in the fifth. Another Rincon error, allowed Estela Pinon to reach base safely, advancing to second on the misplay. Two batters later, Brianna Del Campo came through with a run-scoring single.
