Cactus Shadows offense takes flight in region win
Marc Buckhout ~ 4/7/2010

The Cactus Shadows offense came out swinging Thursday in the team’s home contest against Desert Sky Region rival McClintock (2-15 overall, 0-3 region).
In completing a sweep of the home and home series the host Falcons (9-6, 3-2 saw their first six hitters reach base during a five-run opening inning that propelled them to a 10-2 victory.
The big blow came off the bat of junior Camille McIver, who made her first home run of the season a memorable one, blasting a grand slam that cleared the left field fence.
“That one felt really good,” McIver said. “It was low, right where I like them, and I took a good swing. We’ve found our bats. It’s fun when you know you can score some runs and come up with big hits.”
Coach Danica Gianni said the mindset offensively is the biggest difference from a season ago when Cactus Shadows struggled to a 6-16 campaign
“This is the first season we’re finally getting it at the plate,” Gianni said. “It has been a long process from the freshman year for a lot of these girls who are now seniors. Our key word is believe. The coaching staff has always believed in them and now the players believe in themselves and each other this season.”
Early on the belief had to be that the Falcons would run-rule the Chargers. Just two days after an 11-5 win at McClintock the Falcons offensive onslaught continued. McIver and company followed up a five-run opening inning with four more in the second as they sprinted out to a 9-2 lead.
“We were hoping we could finish it off in five innings, but we’ll take the win anyway we can get it,” McIver said.
With their sixth win in their last eight games Gianni said she and her team, which sits fifth in the 4A Div-I power ratings, have designs on making the post season, something that would be new for the program.
“I think the best we’ve finished has been 21 in the power ratings so the way we’re playing has been exciting,” the coach said.
In addition to McIver, who reached in all four at-bats, hitting rockets each time, the Falcons also got strong showings from lead-off hitter Taylor Shea Smothermon, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, as well as junior Gracie Goulder, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The outpouring of offensive support was more than enough for junior pitcher Amber Underwood.
Other than a bout of wildness in the second, in which a pair of walks led to a two run inning, Underwood rarely faced any serious jams as she didn’t allow a hit from the fourth through the six inning.
In the seventh the Chargers came up with back-to-back two out hits before Underwood recorded the game’s final out on a comebacker. For the game the right hander gave up six hits, walked four, struck out six while allowing two earned runs.
On Tuesday the Falcons played host to Shadow Mountain (results unavailable at press time). On Thursday the team starts a three-game road trip beginning with a battle with the Badgers of Prescott. The team then travels to McClintock, looking once again to pound on the squad that they’ve beaten to the tune of 21-7 so far this season.
The following four games will give them a true barometer to see where they stand as Gianni’s team will get a chance to avenge their two region losses when they take on Saguaro Tuesday and April 15 and then Queen Creek April 20 and April 22.
“We lost to Saguaro by one and then didn’t really play well against Queen Creek (5-2 loss),” Gianni said. “It would be great to win the region and we’ll get that chance if we can beat those teams. We think we’re evenly matched with both of them.”
BOULDER CREEK
In Anthem the Jaguars appear to be running out of time if they are going to turn the 2010 season around. On March 30 the team fell to Mountain Ridge 7-3, dropping their record on the season to 4-13 and 1-2 in Northwest Region play. Things don’t figure to get easier on Friday when the team travels to Glendale to take on the Deer Valley Skyhawks, a squad that defeated the Jaguars 10-0 on March 26. On Tuesday Boulder Creek returns home to host Willow Canyon.