2010 was the first and last time Willcox held up a softball championship trophy until Monday night at GCU where the Cowgirls beat Mohace Accelerated 5-3. That championship run from 16 years ago ended three seasons of frustration, including a 4-2 setback to Camp Verde in 2009. MIke Patterson was the head coach then and current head coach Trevor Ward was his assistant. This year, Patterson was pacing the dugout as his assistant. 

Willcox (25-6) came in ranked No. 5 and the Patriots (25-5) were seeded No. 2 for good reason. Kennedy Lamb (16-2) ended her senior season with 201 strikeouts from the circle and 25 home runs with 71 RBIs and fellowe senior Tanner Banks set a state record with 70 home runs and 300 RBis. In all, Mohave Accelerated brought eight seniors to GCU while Willcox had one senior and six freshmen, including ace Hattie Macumber (26-5) who ended her introduction to high school softball with 318 straikeouts and an MVP award to go with her team championship.

Mohave Accelerated. (Alyson Schmiott/AZPreps365)

The Patriots took second to Heritage Academy last year as the top seed and it looked like things were going to be in place for a championship night at GCU but the Cowgirls came in prepared with a season schedule that started out at the prestigious Dorado Classic in Tucson.

The Patriots stranded four runners in the early going and Macumber cashed in on a home run that hit the top of the net in left field to put Willcox up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning. The Cowgirls added another run in the fifth on a two-out double from Lilyana Milenaar, an infield single from Iza Pando and an RBI single from Janelle Vandermeulen. 

Lamb picked up her 25th home run of the year in bottom half of the fifth to cut the lead down to 2-1 but Gloria Encinas and Milenaar collected RBIs in the sixth to put the Cowgirls up 5-1. The game was error free until the bottom of the seventh when two batters reached on an infield and outfield error to put two on with one out for the Patriots. Lamb made the defense pay with an RBI single to make it 5-2 and Rayli Marin added a sacrifice fly to cut the lead down to 5-3. 

The Patiots had a runner at second with two outs and Macumber earned her seventh strikeout for the victory. Somewhat not used to a championship moment, there was a brief pause before the Cowgirls ran out on the field to celebrate. 

As mentioned before, Macumber was named championship game MVP with seven strikeouts from the circle and she went 2-3 with a home run and an RBI. Milenaar went 3-3 with a double and two RBI. Lamb had seven strikeouts for Mohave Accelerated while going 3-4 with a home run and to RBI. 

 

NOTES

Mohave Accelerated pitcher Kennedy Lamb is headed to Marshall. She has 25 home runs, 69 RBIs and 201 Ks. 

Tanner Banks in headed to Boise State. She has a state ecord 70 home runs with 300 RBI. 

Hattie Macumber, only a freshman, has 318 Ks. She helped lead Willcox to the Little League World Series and she set a World Series record with 15 Ks in one game. 

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