Ethan Cannon is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – Basha’s softball team beat defending 6A state champion Xavier Prep 5-3 in extra innings on the road Thursday afternoon. This is the first loss for Xavier Prep this season.

In the top of the eighth, Basha players Makaila Quinney and Vaeh Luna hit two solo home runs to give Basha the lead. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, pitcher Kylee Duffy struck out the final two batters, giving Basha the win.

Basha softball head coach Kailey Pomeroy said she was proud of team’s overall performance.

“There’s a lot that we’ve been working through, just kind of learning how to quiet the noise on the outside,” Pomeroy said.

Quinney’s game-winning home run is her third home run of the season. Last year, she led the team with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs, helping her win the AIA 6A Premier Region Offensive Player of the Year award.

“It feels good to be clutch for my team, and I’m just excited that I was able to go through with it,” Quinney said. “The rest of my game wasn’t too good, but I’m just happy that I was able to come through my last at bat when it actually mattered for my team.”

Basha pitcher Kylee Duffy came into the game in the fourth inning, with the team down 3-0, and pitched 5 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, and striking out 6. This season, Duffy has a 1.62 ERA and 10 strikeouts. While Duffy’s performance was key to Basha’s win, Duffy said her team helps her play at her best.

“It feels really good, especially after the Highland game,” said Duffy, whose team beat Highland 15-4 on March 3. “I didn’t pitch as well, so I’m really happy that I came out, I did my job here, and we won. It feels really good because knowing that my team has my back and that I don’t just have to pitch strikeouts, and I can let my defense work behind me. It feels really good having them there.”

Luna also hit a home run in the eighth inning, giving her team an insurance run in extra innings. That was Luna’s first home run of the season and her fifth RBI, coming off a strong sophomore season where she bat 0.375 with 4 home runs and 22 RBIs.

“It feels good. You know, I was just thinking to relax and pass it back,” Luna said. “I just went up there, calming myself down, just thinking bat to ball.”

When discussing the home runs her team hit, Pomeroy mentioned momentum and how it was able to create energy throughout the entire team.

“I think that moment's big,” Pomeroy said. “And again, not specifically those players, but just the energy in the dugout, the energy from the defense and all of that is helping push those kids and help them know that there's 18 people behind them.”

Basha’s win against the defending state champions showed the team has the tools to win another state championship, as it did in 2023. Still, Pomeroy is keeping the team focused on the present and not the future.

“As much as I would love to see Basha go to another state championship, it's one day at a time, one pitch at a time, one game at a time,” Pomeroy said.