It was a week of ups and downs for the Fountain Hills High School softball team.

The Lady Falcons played their first game last week on April 2 against region opponent Arizona College Prep. FHHS lost the close game by a final score of 11-10.

Fountain Hills’ next game was two days later on April 4 against American Leadership Academy Gilbert. This time the Lady Falcons won the close competition, 10-8.

FHHS has two away games this week. The first was on Monday, April 8, against Valley Christian.

The next away match-up for Fountain Hills is tomorrow, Thursday, April 11, against Gilbert Christian.

AZ College Prep

Head coach Randy Bragg said that, of the Lady Falcons’ losses this season, the AZ College Prep defeat was the loss they should have won.

“We talked after the game and I said the only way we lose the region is if we beat ourselves and I firmly believe that,” Bragg said. “That’s what we did in that game and all of the girls agreed.”

In a game where the deciding factor was one run in the bottom of the seventh inning, a critical infield error in the second inning allowed Arizona College Prep to score three runs.

Bragg said his squad also got off to a sluggish start at the plate.

“We battled back in the game, which we tend to do,” Bragg said. “We have this really slow start offensively and then all of a sudden we pick it up and we’re almost unstoppable. Now if we could just do that early in the game.”

The Lady Falcons’ bats started moving in the seventh inning when they scored five runs to tie the game.

Sydney Loyet, who went 3-5, got an inside the park home run. Kalista Johnson finished the game with two runs scored.

ALA

Bragg described the game against ALA as starting very much like FHHS’ game against Arizona College Prep.

“(ALA) jumped out to a 7-1 led and then an 8-3 lead in the fourth,” he added. “We came back and had a huge bottom of the sixth. Everyone started hitting.”

Kim Hoyt tied the game 8-8 with a double and then Sophia Buckley hit a home run to make a Falcon lead of 10-8.

“(Buckley) then came out and shut them down for the victory,” Bragg said.

Other big hitters in that game were Zoey Lipps, who made two clutch hits for the team, a double and a triple. Gabbi Coughlin also went 3-4 that night.