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Ray High Bearcats
After reaching the semifinals of the 2018 1A Softball Championship, the Ray softball team started the 2019 season with four-straight wins.
The Lady Bearcats did suffer three-straight defeats last week in the Tucson Badger Softball Classic, but those losses were against a pair of 5A teams and a 4A team. That’s just good preparation for 1A competition later in the season.
In its four wins, Ray has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 38 – 8, which includes a 7 – 1 victory against 3A San Tan Foothills in the season opener.
Four Lady Cats are hitting .350 or better, including junior Shelby Yocum (.778), senior Tara Lorona (.500), senior Daniella Hinojos (.583), and senior Julie Meza (.357). Yocum leads the team with seven extra-base hits, including three homeruns. Lorona has cranked a pair of dingers while Hinojos and Yocum are tied for the team lead with four doubles apiece.
On the mound, Ray is led by Hinojos, a 1A All-Conference 1st Team pitcher a year ago. So far in 2019, the Lady Cats’ ace is 4 – 0 with a 1.30 ERA to go along with 39 K’s in 27 IP.
With the experience and talent that the Lady Cats display, they figure to potentially parlay a promising start to their season into an historical finish.
Up next: Mar. 20 vs. Superior at 4 p.m. and Mar. 22 vs. Holbrook at 9:30 a.m. as part of the Chandler Prep Softball Classic at the Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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