SUNRISE REGION: Cochran’s double seals win for Cougars

With her team on the offensive in the fifth inning Thursday, Coronado’s Katie Cochran stepped up to the plate looking to deliver a death blow.

The senior catcher made the most of the opportunity, smacking a two-run single to left field and helping the Cougars grab a 6-2 victory over Green Valley in the winners’ bracket final of the Sunrise Region softball tournament at Foothill.

The win secured Coronado’s berth in the region championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bishop Gorman. Green Valley (16-11) will play either Las Vegas (21-12) or Foothill (24-8) in a 5 p.m. elimination game Friday at Foothill.

“I needed to get it for my team,” said Cochran, who gave the Cougars a 5-2 lead with her one-out hit. “It was time to put it away because we wanted this.”

Coronado (22-11) struggled to put the Gators away early, despite going ahead 2-0 on Cochran’s first RBI single of the day and a subsequent throwing error by Green Valley.

But the Gators battled back in the fourth after leadoff hitter Lindsay Seberry was hit by a pitch. Cori Sutton lined a single into the right-field corner, and a throwing error brought Seberry all the way around. Autumn Owens followed with an RBI double to help Green Valley tie the score at 2.

“You’ve got to rise up to the occasion there,” Coronado coach Missy Krueger said. “My team’s been through a lot this year, but we’ve fought through and we’re playing our best softball right now.”

Alyssa Ayers’ one-out slap single in the fifth appeared fairly harmless, but it marked the beginning of Coronado’s big inning. The Gators committed two errors on a bad-hop bouncer that got by shortstop Marissa Iwanylo, allowing the Cougars to take a 3-2 lead.

Gators’ pitcher Fenixx Henderson appeared shaken after the play, walking Danielle Amato before giving up the key hit to Cochran. A Green Valley throwing error later in the inning made it 6-2, and the Gators never made another offensive threat.

“We like to take advantage of mistakes,” said Krueger, whose team had only four hits. “If we have the opportunity to be aggressive and score extra runs, then we’re going to do it.”

Cochran went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead Coronado, and Ayers went 2-for-4. Amato tossed a five-hitter to earn the win.

Foothill 7, Rancho 4 — At Coronado, Lauren Penksa drove in three runs and Rhiana Balaun added a pair of doubles as the defending Sunrise champs eliminated the Rams (11-15-1).

“The girls responded very well today,” said Foothill coach Tom Mayes, whose team will play Las Vegas at 3 p.m. Friday at Foothill. “We played better today, and didn’t get rattled when things went bad. Sure, we made mistakes but we got through it and kept battling.”

The Falcons erased a one-run lead with three runs in the second inning, two coming on Penksa’s single. Foothill put together hits by Balaun, Pamela Sakuma and Aricia Dami to produce three more runs in the third.

Alex Petrolia went the distance for Foothill, scattering nine hits.

Brandy Marlett had four hits for the Rams.

Las Vegas 2, Basic 1 — At Coronado, Erin Gliddon’s RBI single scored Jasmina Salas with the winning run in the eighth inning to keep the Wildcats’ season alive.

Basic (15-11) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tiana Tapuala’s sacrifice fly plated Paige Blake.

Las Vegas answered in the fourth as Brooke Booth’s double brought in Kristina Nelson.

Gliddon led the Wildcats with three hits, and Booth, Nelson, Ashly Westgarth and Mariel Hundley added two hits each.

Teuila Sheehan had two of Basic’s three hits.