Signals AZ

Bradshaw Mountain Softball Punches Ticket to State Playoffs


Bradshaw Mountain Bears softball freshman Yesenia Gomez smacked a three-run home run, while sophomores Madisen Duryea and MeKenzie Smith each contributed two hits in the game as the Bears beat Peoria High School 9-2 in the 4A Grand Canyon State Playoff play-in game Wednesday, April 25th. The Bears advance to the state playoffs as the #10 seed and face #7 Casa Grande on the road Saturday, April 28th, at 10:15am.

The Bradshaw Mountain High School Bears softball team celebrates after advancing to the state playoffs on Wednesday afternoon, April 25th, 2018. (All Photos by Torrence Dunham / Signals)“I am so proud of my girls, we pushed really hard for this and I’m very glad that we accomplished this,” Gomez said following the victory on Wednesday. “We’re going to push to do more.”

Bradshaw Mountain Bears Softball Head Coach Sharon Haese said the team gathered on Thursday afternoon, April 26th, and watched the bracket-cast from AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) to find out who they would take on in the first round of the state playoffs. Just as the game on Wednesday afternoon, the game on Saturday against Casa Grande will be another win or go home format. If the Bears advance past the game on Saturday, the team will enter a double-elimination format.

The playoff atmosphere will be a new experience for many on the team, as the Bears feature two freshmen, eight sophomores, one junior and two seniors.

“It’s (playoff softball) very heart thumping, but it’s really fun because you get to play with a team that is really by your side,” Gomez said.

Since 2016 was the last time the Bears made the playoffs, only three members of the team have playoff experience.

“These young ones, they just know it’s (the playoffs) a goal of ours,” Haese said. “You don’t really know it until you experience it and you get a taste of it which really makes you hungry.”

“So it’s all very new for them,” Haese continued.

In the regular season, Bradshaw Mountain went 13-6 with a 7-5 record in section. All season long, the Bears have been preparing for the pressure of postseason play.

“They are not only preparing physically, they are preparing mentally,” Haese said. “We’ve talked about mental toughness and mental focus. We still talk about it, it’s one of our major goals that we have to do.”

After getting past the play-in game, Haese says each playoff game will help the continued growth of the young Bradshaw Mountain High School softball core.

“It’s good because we will go into next year hungry, knowing what we are capable of doing and it’s going to make us that much better,” Haese said.

The #10 seeded Bradshaw Mountain softball team heads to Casa Grande Union High School to take on #7 Casa Grande at 10:15 am.

___

Follow Signals on Facebook to get the latest local events and updates: Facebook.com/SignalsAZ

Subscribe to the Signals Newsletter, events, entertainment, info & news right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE

If you like this story, consider subscribing to Signals Updates, Entertainment Events & News!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.