Defense put Gilbert High in a hole Tuesday, but courageous base running and offense dug the Tigers out of that trench and on to an eighth consecutive victory.

Cassie Vela stole home on a delayed steal to plate the tie-breaking run and Elysia Mesa ripped a two-run double for insurance a bit later as Gilbert defeated Desert Ridge, 7-4, in a 5A-I non-region softball game at Gilbert. It was the first power-point game of the season for both schools.

 "We started out scary, but once we started hitting the ball, hitting it hard we got in a groove," Gilbert coach Shaundra Gutierrez said.

It was a pretty nice day for several Tigers, foremost  freshman Taylor McCord. McCord pitched the first four innings allowing four hits, no walks and striking out five. She did give up two runs, which were unearned. At the plate McCord was all deuces -- 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBI.

"Taylor's played very well," Gutierrez said. "She's played all over for us -- first base, outfield, pitcher. She's a great utility player."

McCord's hits were as different as night and day. The first was an infield single nubbed about 12 feet from home plate that noone could make a play on that drove in a run in the third inning. The second was a home run over the left field wall that tied the game and set in motion the decisive three-run fifth inning for the Tigers.

Three throwing errors -- two in the third and one in the fifth -- led directly to Desert Ridge's first three runs. After 4 1/2 innings Gilbert hardly looked like the team that went 7-0 last week and won the Lion Country Classic at Red Mountain High.

The fifth and sixth innings changed. Gilbert used McCord's homer, two-out walks to Cassie Vela and Shelbi Meyer and a daring delayed steal of home by Vela to take the lead for good, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth. Gilbert added an extra run when a dropped throw at first with two outs allowed Meyer to score.

Gilbert wrapped up the contest getting a two-out, two-run double in the sixth by Elysia Mesa, moments after Desert Ridge turned in double play (8-2) that appeared to bail the Jaguars out of the jam.

Desert Ridge got solid production from the top of its lineup with Jackie Hernandez and Jasmine Zaker  each collecting three singles and scoring three of the Jaguars' four runs.