Cameron Kritzer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Christian High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX - Scoring came easy, and in bunches, for Phoenix Christian in its season opener against Sedona Red Rock.

Senior catcher Hannah Fisher hit a two RBI triple that put Phoenix Christian up 2-0 early in the first inning. This was the second triple of the opening frame and set the tone for the rest of the game.

“If anything's close, you gotta swing,” Fisher said. “That's the mentality we’ve learned, especially with a team like this.” 

The Cougars scored seven more in the inning and 11 more after that and cemented their victory with an 18-0 final score in five innings. 

“I think we're confident that coming into the game that we would be able to win it,” head coach Erik Flisyn said. “But at the same time, we still have to do our job. Our girls played hard the whole game. They didn't give up, and they didn't get lazy on the field.”

Phoenix Christian softball opened its season on March 2 at home against Sedona Red Rock. Coming off a 15-3 record in the prior season, the Cougars were ready to top last year's performance and possibly make a deep playoff run. 

Senior pitcher and outfielder Karly Van Metre was in the circle for PC, and she set the tone right away. She made quick work of the Scorpion batters, picking up two strikeouts as she came in to leadoff for her side 

She started the game with a leadoff triple, and from there the runs piled on. Fisher hit her triple to start the scoring off, and seven more runs scored before an out was even recorded in the inning. Continuing to put balls in play and great plate discipline allowed Phoenix Christian to score nine runs in the inning. 

The second inning was more of the same. Van Metre threw a shut-down inning, and the Cougars scored three more as their lead bloomed to 12-0. This continued as they refused to let up on the Scorpions.

“I like to win and be a competitor,” Van Metre said. “Just staying focused and locked in just helps me play my best and be there for my teammates.” 

Over the next three innings PC scored seven more runs and 10-run ruled Sedona Red Rock in five innings. The visiting Scorpions made too many defensive mistakes and couldn't crack the Cougars' pitching, ending the game with zero hits.

Sedona Red Rock mistakes included on-field errors as well as issuing free passes to PC hitters. It allowed seven runs alone on bases-loaded walks for the Cougars. To go along with this, the Scorpions gave up three more runs on errors committed.

“Obviously, she was struggling to find the zone,” Flisyn said. “We told the girls from the very beginning to be aggressive, to look for a pitch to hit right away, and not waste them.”

Because of these miscues, PC was able to score 18 on only nine hits and put themselves in a winning position. With a big outcome like this one, it is sure to set the Cougars up for anything they might face in the upcoming season. 

With the season just getting underway, the Cougars still have a long road ahead of them as they will take on Tonopah Valley on Tuesday, March 3.

“Every win that you have, you want to build upon it,” Flisyn said. “We don't want to go in with overconfidence, but we want to be confident in our ability to perform. So you build, grow and just keep moving forward.”