Mesa Mountain View softball coach Joe Goodman didn't have the accurate count as he addressed his team after its 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon over visiting Desert Mountain.

Goodman praised standout pitcher Val Kaff for her 15-strikeout effort that paved the way to victory at the team's postgame meeting.. It took a second or two for the real strikeout total to surface.

"I thought she had about 15," Goodman said. "I found out it was 18. She's always pretty tough out there. She was really tough  today."

Mountain View, which struggled in pool play at last week's Desert Mountain Invitational losing three of four games, won a pair of consolation games on Saturday. With a power-ranking win over Desert Ridge Tuesday and Wednesday's triumph over Desert Mountain, the Lady Toros have quickly pieced together a five-game winning streak. Mountain View is 14-4 overall and 5-1 in power-ranking contests. Desert Mountain dropped to a respectable 13-7 overall and 5-2 in power-ranking games. The Lady Wolves defeat was simply the result of an exceptional pitcher at the top of her game.

"We took way too many strikes," Desert Mountain coach Rick Sharp said. "She got up in the count on nearly everyone. They were only getting one good swing if that....

"We have a lot of young hitters. I don't think they're used to seeing someone as good as (Kaff)."

Mountain View mustered its offense with resourcefulness, walks and wild pitch against Desert Mountain ace Ashley Wellins. Mountain View scored in the bottom of the third with two outs. A walk -- one of three free passes that ended up scoring and haunting Desert Mountain -- to Brittney Lindblom got the quick rally going. Lindblom stole second and scored on the game's lone extra-base hit. That was a double to left field by lefty-hitting Page Roberts. Roberts was thrown out at third trying for a triple to end the inning.

Then in the fourth Mountain View tacked on two extra runs that proved the difference -- without a hit or the ball leaving the infield. Power-hitting catcher Sid Ryan drew the second of her three walks on the day to start things. Kaff followed with another walk. Jami Wickerman sacrificed the runners to second and third. The second wild pitch of the inning by Wellins plated courtesy runner Brooke Hills to make it 2-0. A fielder's choice bouncer by Kinsey Ryan plated another courtesy runner (Maria Serrano) with the final run. Wellins only allowed three hits, but issued five walk. She struck out four.

Desert Mountain batted four sophomores, a freshman, two juniors and two seniors. It managed three hits off Kaff -- a sharp single to left by Sam Pederson in the fourth, a bunt single by Lexi Pierson in the sixth and a looping single to right by Wellins that drove in the Lady Wolves' lone run in the sixth. Kaff pitched out of what was a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth by striking out the side. Early in the game, Kaff recorded seven consecutive K's -- one ending the first and fanning the side in the second and third. She also struck out the side in the fourth after giving up Pederson's base hit.