After nearly three weeks off, the Fountain Hills High School softball team has returned to action. They tied their season record with 16 runs scored in their home game against No. 6 Northwest Christian (13-2) last Thursday.

Interim head coach Chris Peterson described his first home game as a “football level score.” The Falcons lost 37-16, but they kept it much more competitive than the score shows. Senior Mia Duda hit a three-run home run to make it 21-16, and then the Crusaders responded with a flurry of runs in the next inning.

The Falcons restructured their team over the hiatus and added an influx of basketball players. Some of them had played softball before, and others just had three weeks of practice under their belts.

The Falcons lost their first game at Northwest Christian 17-1 on Tuesday, April 11. They knocked the rust off, regrouped and came back two days later with the most offense they’ve had all season.

The Falcons only scored 10 or more runs twice this season, in a 16-13 win over Phoenix Country Day and in a 22-11 loss to Crismon. They got hits from everybody at home on Thursday, and Duda, junior Hailey Chandler and sophomore Sammantha Hughes led the charge.

“I know that Mia and Hailey and the top of our lineup accounted for probably 80% of those runs, and the bottom half of our lineup contributed seven or eight runs themselves,” Peterson said. “We’ve got a lineup here that can beutilized in a variety of manners.”

Assistant coach Michaela Quintana has been with the team all season and was huge in the process of adjusting the new players to softball. Quintana played softball and basketball for Fountain Hills last year and had a full circle moment coaching them.

Quintana only played basketball for the Falcons as a senior. She had played when she was younger, and her teammates helped get her back into rhythm on the court last year. She got the chance to repay the favor and coach them this year.

“Since we've meshed two teams together, you'd think it'd be more, ‘the basketball girls’ and then ‘the softball girls’, but everyone just works together and learns from each other,” Quintana said. “Everyone picks each other up and just has fun together. They're all like a little family. It's really cool.”

The Falcons now have 12 players and freshman Jaden Dunkenson took over pitching duties from sophomore Shania Rivera halfway through the game. It was Dunkenson’s first time pitching for the Falcons, and the Falcon’s adjustments forced Northwest Christian to adjust too.

“I know we made them nervous because they were making adjustments and we were putting the ball in play,” Peterson said. “Like I said, our first seven hitters are pretty darn solid hitters.”

Peterson teaches at the middle school and coached with the baseball program for 15 years. He was the middle school and jv head coach for 10 years, but this is his first-time coaching girls sports for Fountain Hills.

The Falcons had several player meetings with Athletic Director Evelyn Wynn and basketball coach Amanda Baca during their break. Peterson said they were instrumental in helping him finish out the season.

The Falcon’s goal is to close out the season on a positive note. They hosted Scottsdale Christian after press time on Monday, April 17, and they travel to No. 35 Scottsdale Christian (1-7) tomorrow, Thursday, April 20. The Falcons will host Bourgade Catholic in the season finale next Monday, April 24, at 4 p.m.

“We all signed up for fun around here,” Peterson said. “I told them that they have to continue to implement those basic components of the game. Hitting our cutoffs, putting the ball in play, collecting outs, getting runs, and just being competitive every inning. Ultimately, it’s about putting in play what we practice.”