Softball: Mountain View's two-out, sixth-inning rally topples Red Mountain
April 9, 2026 by Jason P. Skoda, AZPreps365
Sometimes an ending is too good to be true.
But there is another way to look at it other than cliched version.
Maybe the ending is true because the winning team is good.
Several factors played into the eventual outcome, but Mountain View softball sure looked the part of a very good team Thursday when the Toros overcame two deficits to beat rival Red Mountain 6-5 in 6A East Valley Region action.
Senior Keelie Goodman’s hard shot to shortstop got through to the outfield to score two runs to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
“Going in between innings and talking to them, there was not one time I counted us out of this game,” Mountain View coach Fernando Lopez said. “I know what we can do. We chipped away at it.
“Twenty-four hours ago, Keelie had an opportunity to do the same thing, and it didn’t go our way. I believed in her both times and I’ll believe in her again tomorrow.”
Ok, let’s break this one down.
Red Mountain (17-5 overall, 5-1 in region) played its part as one of the state favorites in building leads of 4-0 and 5-2, but it was not enough thanks to a senior pitcher being a bulldog, a converted fourth option at catcher being a pest on the bases and a California move-in finding her way into the lineup as a freshman.
It all came together for the Toros (15-8, 7-0) with a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth after the top half was delayed several minutes – and a fan on both sides, and a coach were warned by the umpire - because of a play at the plate was originally called out, but after Red Mountain appealed it was turned into an obstruction call for a 5-2 lead.
Mountain View catcher Hadley Goodman prepares to make a tag as Red Mountain's Molly Moore slides into home. Initial call was out, but overturned to obstruction. (Jason P. Skoda/AZPreps365)
“I thought it was an out,” said Hadley Goodman, a sophomore who played catcher in little league and then moved from second base to catcher out of need earlier in the year. “I didn’t matter in the end. We were able to put pressure on them and took the lead.”
It could have been the play that put away the Toros, but that all changed when freshman third baseman Allison Robles homered to right center field off Jaelynn Fife, who was pitching in her sixth game after transferring from Mountain View.
Robles, whose family moved from San Diego two months ago, has slowly made her way into the lineup and cemented it Wednesday with a double off the wall against Perry as a pinch hitter and the momentum shifting shot against Red Mountain to pull within 5-4 as the No. 9 hitter.
“At the beginning of the season, I had a rocky start, but I was so grateful that my coaches kept believing me and giving me chances,” Robles said. “We were down three runs, and I just was trying to keep the inning going.”
The Toros were not finished with the comeback thanks to the Goodman sisters.
Hadley, a sophomore who converted to catcher after three other catchers were hurt or quit, got on for the fourth time on hard ground ball to second baseman that would have ended the inning.
Pinch-hitter Mykhel Dineyazhe walked and while Keelie Goodman was working the count, Hadley and Dineyazhe pulled off a double steal after seeing change up out of the hand from their former teammate.
Crazy inning.
— AZPreps365Skoda (@AZPreps365Skoda) April 10, 2026
Lions add a run on a tough overturn of an out at the plate to go up 5-2.
Toros get a 2 run HR from freshman Robles and a hard hit shot to SS by K. Goodman that plates two for the lead.
After 6 MtV 6, RM 4.#AzPreps365Live @AZPreps365Jose @AZinthecircle pic.twitter.com/KaSqZRttuC
It gave the elder Goodman, who is going to Western New Mexico, a chance to redeem herself after not coming through in a big situation against Perry.
She put a 3-2 pitch in play with a hard grounder a few steps to shortstop’s left only to have it bound into the outfield as the tying and go-ahead runs score.
“I was just trying to come through for the team,” Keelie said. “Jae is a good pitcher, and I was just trying to put the ball in play hard somewhere to keep the inning going. We don’t give up. That was a big game for us being down 4-0 can never giving into it.”
It brought senior right-hander and Kansas commit Daniella Gloria back out on the circle with a chance to close it out for the Toros. She did so without any stress like she faced in the second inning,
The Toros came back and won late, but it wouldn’t have been possible if Gloria hadn’t put an end to a Mountain Lion rally in the second.
Red Mountain scored two runs thanks to the bottom of the lineup and still had the bases loaded when the lineup flipped to Oklahoma commit Peyton Westra and Southern Utah recruit Nina Montenegro.
“This is a good game for us to reflect that we need to continue to work as a team and put team first,” Red Mountain coach Breanna Peterson said. “We need to play situational softball. Little things come into play. There’s still life and we will have a chance to win region at our field.”
Westra wins the battle this time. 2-run shot.
— AZPreps365Skoda (@AZPreps365Skoda) April 9, 2026
4-1 RM over MtnV after 4 innings.
Toros manage to load the bases with help of errors.
Kylie Campos puts ball in play for FC RBI.#AzPreps365Live @AZinthecircle pic.twitter.com/kJnPL3RcJR
This day, however, belonged to the Toros.
Two pop ups later in that second inning, the Toros were back in the dugout and feeling pretty good, but the vibe was nothing near what it was in the sixth inning comeback.
“There was no other thought in my mind other than my team needs me,” Gloria said. “When we work together and stay loud, bring the energy we are a different team.”
It was one win and the second game between the rivals will be played on April 21, but on this afternoon the Toros were truly good.
“The dugout was electric, that’s for sure,” Robles said. “The dugout was echoing, and it just shows what we can do when we band together.”
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