Gila Ridge stuns Desert Edge

The Gila Ridge softball team sneaked into the playoffs as the No. 24 seed.

Now it's in the second round.

Junior pitcher Nikki Kelland threw a one-hitter and the Hawks won 2-0 at No. 9 Desert Edge in the first round of the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division II state tournament Saturday in Goodyear.

Kelland struck out four and walked none in the win.

“She threw the ball very, very well,” Gila Ridge coach Jaime McGalliard said. “She got a ton of ground balls.”

Summer Ehrig got the Hawks on the board with a solo home run to left field in the top of the first, and Kaelin Fox hit a deep home run to center in the top of the fourth.

“We came in pretty confident because we've been playing really well,” McGalliard said.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Desert Edge's No. 3 hitter hit a ball to right fielder Ashley Van Why, who fielded it and threw it to first for the out.

“That was a huge play, because with their big hitter coming up, she could have tied it with one swing,” McGalliard said.

Kelland then got the cleanup hitter to ground out to second baseman Ariana Rader to secure the upset.

Now the Hawks will travel to face No. 8 Mohave at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Bullhead City.