The Fountain Hills High School softball team lost both their games to Crismon and Show Low last week. They will play in their second tournament of the regular season up in Payson this Friday and Saturday, March 17-18. The young team has shown signs of progress so far and the four games this weekend will help more lessons sink in.

The Falcons have more new players than returners, and they utilized their first tournament as a way to grow and get on the same page as one another. They hope to take more steps forward over spring break and return ready for the second half of the season.

The Falcons lost 22-11 at home to Crismon (2-6) on Wednesday, March 8, and then lost 23-2 at Show Low (4-2) on Thursday, March 9. The rookies played better at home and put up three runs, one RBI and two hits, but most of the load was carried by the four veterans.

Against Crismon, senior Mia Duda hit two triples and had five RBIs on .667% batting. Sophomore Sammantha Hughes had three RBIs on three hits, including a double and a triple. Hughes continues to lead the team with .833% batting through six games so far.

Junior Hailey Chandler currently leads region 3A North Central in stolen bases with 12, and she stole two in each game last week. She also batted .500% in both games.

Sophomore pitcher Shania Rivera has stepped up her game after only pitching two innings as a freshman. She’s the only pitcher now, and she threw six strikeouts against Crismon and three against Show Low. She also batted .584% last week and had one RBI.

“I feel like, as of right now, the best thing I can do for myself is just be there for my team and make sure we have playable balls,” Rivera said. “For us, I think it’s just, go our pace, and we’ll be okay. If we let the other teams…dictate our pace, we’re going to get overrun.”

Rivera said she worked a lot on her pitching and batting with Michaela Quintana after she graduated over the summer. Quintana was an all-region honorable mention last year and returned as an assistant coach this season. With Quintana readily available in her corner, Rivera is more confident on the pitcher’s mound.

Confidence can do a lot for a player. Some of the new players have prior experience, but the game moves much faster at the varsity level than their previous middle school or club leagues. Sophomore Caroline Hales played softball growing up in Alabama, and then played on the Fountain Hills middle school team in her eighth grade year.

Hales didn’t play as a freshman at Fountain Hills because she wanted to get accustomed to the high school workload first. She’s had to find her footing on the diamond again, but the team has been supportive to her and every other rookie.

“They really all picked me up and made me join their family,” Hales said. “It’s a really great place, everyone’s so kind. It’s loving.”

The Falcons are gelling and building team chemistry, and each game is a learning experience for the new players. The Falcons are 1-6 currently, but their lone win came in the Phoenix Country Day School tournament.

“I think, the first tournament, we learned a lot from it, and we’ve been doing a lot of it in practice,” Hales said. “We’ve just got to work more, be confident and just stay with each other. We know the plays, we know what players can do, and we’re just going to learn from it and do it in our next tournament.”

The Falcons play in the Gracie Haught Classic at Rumsey Park in Payson this weekend. The Falcons start this Friday, March 17, against the Benson Bobcats (5-2) at 10 a.m. Then at 1:45 p.m., the Falcons will play the Blue Ridge Yellowjackets (1-1).

The Falcons will play the Safford Bulldogs (4-4) at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, and then play Sahuarita (4-5) in their final match at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. After the tournament, the Falcons will start their region schedule against Chino Valley (2-0) on Monday, March 20, at 3:45 p.m. They will play their last freedom schedule game at Crismon on Thursday, March 23, at 3:45 p.m.