Long day's work for Salpointe ends with second-place finish

High school softball players usually do not have to work a 12-hour shift, but that was what was required to be champion of the Dorado Classic. 

Salpointe Catholic coach Phil Gruensfelder arrived with his team at Sportspark just after 7 a.m. Saturday, and the Lancers did not leave until 7:30 p.m. having come just shy of achieving what they had hoped to. 

Peoria Centennial outlasted Salpointe 1-0 in the tournament final on a day that demanded much from the teams. 

Rain during Friday's action forced a number of games to be played early Saturday morning, and Centennial and Salpointe each had to win three games to earn a berth in the championship. 

Once there, neither side held a noticeable advantage over the other, but Centennial broke through in the top of the fourth inning as the Coyotes (7-0) got all the scoring they needed. 

Singles by Olivia Bustamante and Carly Benford helped set the stage for Ashlie Rosenberg's RBI groundout two batters later. 

Centennial pitcher Britnee Barnett kept Salpointe at bay the rest of the way to seal the win for the 2003 Class 4A state runner-up. 

"We came in here not trying to win it all, but just hoping to gain some confidence," said Barnett, a senior who struck out six. 

"We thought of it just like it was another game and didn't get ourselves too hyped up." 

Jenna Rome was dominant on the mound for Salpointe, but unlike their counterparts, the Lancers (6-1) could not produce much of a threat offensively. 

Demetria Farhat singled down the third base line and off the face of Centennial's Erin Ladd in the bottom of the fifth to start what was Salpointe's best chance to score. 

Lia Lara reached base on a fielder's choice, with Farhat safe at second. Both runners advanced on Dani Sidoti's sacrifice bunt. 

But with two runners in scoring position, Barnett got herself out of the jam by forcing Kelsy Rokey to ground out to end the inning. 

"It was a matter of Centennial executing things when they had to, and we weren't able to take advantage of our opportunities," Gruensfelder said. 

"(Barnett) kept us off balance all night. This will be a great learning experience for us." 

In the third-place game, Canyon del Oro routed an exhausted Phoenix Desert Vista squad 8-0. 

Arizona signee Callista Balko hit a towering home run to right field, and Kandace Glynn pitched a shutout for the Dorados (5-2), who were the host of the two-day tournament.