Last season Red Mountain softball won the 2010 5A-I state title with extraordinary pitching and very good hitting. The Mountain Lions are certainly in the mix -- if not the lead -- to repeat as state champs in 2011. The reason? Extraordinary hitting and very good pitching.

A pitcher who did not feel good pitched lights out. A power hitter who set the table rather than drive in runs. And a cleanup hitter that delivered what her role requires. Perry used those contributions Friday to put a stranglehold on the lead in the 5A East Valley Region softball race by defeating Skyline, 6-0, at Skyline High School.

Strong effort from pitcher Hall helps Chiefs record 5-1 softball victory.

Mustangs and Raymond S. Kellis play for cancer awareness.

Team scores nine runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 12-5 victory over Desert Edge.

Two base hits and a sacrifice in the sixth inning produce the only run of the game against Deer Valley.

The top four teams in the 5A Central Region softball race are not separated by much. And when Gilbert (4-1), Mesa Mountain View (3-2), Dobson (2-1) and Basha (2-1) have played one another the margin of error has been thin for the most part. Nothing changed in that regard Tuesday afternoon as Gilbert used a pair of two-run homers to beat Mountain View, 5-2, in a clash of teams tied for first in the region at Gilbert High.

Mesquite softball coach Jeff Shufelt has seen his team surrender bushel baskets of runs lately (39 in its last three defeats) and battle the loss of a couple key players (Ayssa Vargas and Katie Greco) to injury. The Wildcats, however, were definitely battlers Monday afternoon, coming back from two-run deficits early and late to subdue Perry High, 7-6, in a 5A non-region game at Mesquite.

With a bit more than half of its regular season in the books the signs of a Dobson softball turnaround are evident.

Canyon del Oro tore through the field in the 14th annual Desert Mountain Softball Invitational winning the championship Saturday and doing it in a variety of ways.

Canyon del Oro, Desert Mountain, Red Mountain and Chaparral all won championship bracket games early Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinals of the Desert Mountain Softball Invitational at Horizon Park.