Lady Scouts win region over fatigued Chinle squad

TUBA CITY

Window Rock’s 6-0 win over Chinle last Saturday afternoon cemented its status as 3A North’s best softball team.

The Lady Scouts plated two runs in the first, second and fourth innings while holding Chinle to only one hit as they secured the regional tournament title at Tuba City High.

“We already set our goals early in the season to go into the regional tournament as the No. 1 seed and we did,” Window Rock coach Cynthia Smiley said. “Our next goal was to win the region tournament and we did.”

With those two goals checked off, Smiley said they have their sights set on the bigger picture. They hope to make headway in this week’s 3A state softball tournament.

“We want to be playing in the state championship game,” the first-year coach said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time and the important thing is we need to stay grounded.

“We need to keep working positively together and keep building our team,” she added. “We need to build them even closer because we need that to work during the state playoffs.”

On Tuesday, the Arizona Interscholastic Association released the state brackets and the Scouts earned the No. 13 seed. They were set to host No. 20 Fountain Hills yesterday in a 3A Conference play-in game with the winner’s advancing into Saturday’s round at Rose Mofford Softball Complex in north Phoenix.

“I think we’re sitting in a good position,” Smiley said. “I think we’re mentally ready. I told them that we need to be strong in all areas. Like I said, we’re taking it one game at a time.”

In last Saturday’s championship game, Window Rock finished the contest with eight hits with freshman Alexis Hood-Tsosie and senior Rachel Smiley leading the team with two hits.

Tsosie-Hood went 2 for 3 with a single and a two-run homer and 3 RBIs. Smiley went 2 for 3 with two doubles with one of those hits bringing in a run.

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