The expected and unexpected took place Thursday afternoon as pitching-rich Desert Vista and Perry hooked up for a 6A non-region game.

The expected - Desert Vista ace Jocelyn Briski trading oodles of strikeouts with Perry's Autumn Kunze. The unexpected - a game-winning home run by Desert Vista No. 2 hitter Miranda Martinez with two outs in the last of the sixth to give the Thunder a 1-0 triumph. Desert Vista won for the fourth time in five games. The Thunder have allowed one run in their four victories. Perry dropped its first game of the season and is 2-1. The Pumas have allowed one run in their three games.

"What a great game, a fun game," Desert Vista coach Chris Crowl said. "The way it was going we were anticipating extra innings. Surprisingly it didn't come to that."

Briski, a sophomore, tantalized Perry as she's done other opponents with a nasty rise ball. Briski struck out 18, including the side four times. Briski managed to pitch in 10 of 13 games the Thunder played last season before sports were shut down in mid-March by COVID-19. Her efforts last year thus were unsung.

"She struck out 138 batters in 56 innings last year, and something like a 0.87 ERA," Crowl said. "It was a shame the season was stopped. She's put in a lot of work in the offseason and gotten stronger with our weight training. She's much stronger late in games this year than last year."

Briski has all the decisions for Desert Vista, including no-hitters vs. Chandler (perfect game) and earlier this week against Mountain Pointe. She has 79 strikeouts in 30 innings so far this season. She lost a no-hitter in this one giving up a two-out double to right to Noelle Gumm.

.                           Desert Vista pitcher Jocelyn Briski gets a high-five after her 18-K, one-hitter topped Perry, 1-0. (Azpreps365 photo)

 

Kunze, a junior, was making her second start. She bested Corona del Sol last week, 3-0, with a three-hitter and 12 strikeouts. In Wednesday's game Kunze fanned 13. Her improvement this year over last has been immense. She was 2-4 in 2020 action with a 4.75 ERA.

Like Briski, she took a no-hitter to the sixth inning. It was still intact with two outs in the frame, but it was lost on one swing of Martinez's bat. Martinez got all of a good pitcher's pitch and sent it over the centerfield fence.

For Martinez, a junior, it was her first hit of the season. She successfully sacrificed in the first inning and struck out in the third before her long ball heroics. Teammates were busy signing her home-run ball after the game while they spruced up the field.

"Not expecting that," Crowl said. "She hit a home run in our scrimmage before the season. When she hit it today I thought it would hit the fence. Someone next to me said it's going out."

Perry coach Rob Hehe had to tip his cap to Martinez's blast.

"The pitch was where we wanted it," Hehe said. "Down and in. I don't now how she hit it like she did, but she got all of it."

As for Perry's hitting against Briski, adjustments were hard in coming.

"We kept chasing balls up," Hehe said. "We made some corrections, but not early enough. We weren't disciplined enough."