Sandra Day O'Connor High School won its first Division I state softball title Monday night, beating top-seeded Glendale Mountain Ridge 2-0 at ASU's Farrington Stadium.
O'Connor, seeded second, won its final five games and had to come through the loser's bracket to claim the title.
Sophomore Emma Vesely allowed four hits, walked six and hit a batter in the shutout. Mountain Ridge couldn't deliver the clutch hit and was shut out for only the second time this season. The first time was a 10-0 loss to O'Connor in early March.
Vesley walked Alyssa DiCarlo, hitting over .600, four times on 16 pitches.
"We'd seen her do damage in other games," O'Connor coach Melissa Hobson was quoted as saying by AZPreps365.com, "and weren't going to let it happen tonight."
Stevie McLemore scored both runs for O'Connor after walks. A two-out double by Jasmilia Cosay drove her in during the second inning, and McLemore added a run in the top of the seventh on an infield hit by Justyce McClain.
In the Division II state title game, Vail Cienega defeated Tucson Salpointe 9-2 for the program's second state title, its first since winning the Class 4A state title in 2010.
Kayla Green went the distance for the Bobcats, striking out five. Cienega took a 3-0 lead in the first inning with the help of a two-run triple from left fielder Taylor Lambert. The Bobcats pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second and added three more runs in the fourth on a bases-loaded double from catcher Melanie Cross.
FOX Sports Arizona Plus will air the Division I and II baseball state championships on Tuesday night, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
