Centennial prevails on Apollo Miscue

Britnee Barnett breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I'm just glad it didn't go into extra innings," the Centennial pitcher said.

That's exactly where Centennial's first-round Class 4A state tournament softball game with visiting Apollo was headed Saturday. But the duel was settled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh when Centennial scored on an error to win 1-0.

Centennial (27-6) will play at Flagstaff (22-3) at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

In the seventh, Centennial shortstop Ashlie Rosenberg walked and Jennifer Pendergast was hit by a pitch. Katie Wakeford's smash bounced off an infielder's glove, allowing Rosenberg to score.

"In the fifth inning, I said to (assistant) Ronnie (Lutz), 'Is this gonna be one of those 12-inning, 13-inning games?' " Centennial coach Bartt Underwood said. "I said somebody's gonna make a mistake, and the other team is gonna have to capitalize."

Apollo (22-9) pitcher Sara Moder yielded only a two-out double to Rosenberg and a walk to Wakeford through six innings. But Barnett was equally tough, not allowing a base runner until Apollo's Nina Ramirez walked to open the sixth. Aleia Metzler's bunt single in the seventh was the Hawks' lone hit.

Both pitchers gave up just one hit and struck out five.

Barnett got defensive help from third baseman Nicole Dvorak and Rosenberg in the first three innings, and center fielder Hillary Deardoff bailed her out with a shoestring catch in the fourth.

"I had a lot of confidence in my defense," Barnett said. "Them making the plays made it easier on me. It's like a do-or-die situation. This kind of sets us up for the rest of the tournament."