By Don Ketchum

The softball team from Phoenix Horizon lives to fight another day, but not by much.

The Huskies built a big lead against Peoria Centennial with a six-run sixth inning, then saw Centennial rally for five runs in the seventh before holding on for a 9-8 victory in a Division I state tournament elimination game on Tuesday night (May 8) at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix.

Sixth-seeded Horizon (25-9) moves on to play another loser’s bracket game in the double-elimination tournament. The Huskies will face top-seeded Chandler Basha on Wednesday night (May 9) at 6:30. Basha advanced by eliminating No. 3 Phoenix Xavier Prep 7-2.

Horizon freshman pitcher Tamara “T’’ Statman hit her second home run of the game, this one a grand slam, to build the lead in the sixth. But she gave up a grand slam to Centennial’s Abby Beasley with no outs before retiring the last three hitters in a row.

“This is nothing new for us,’’ said Horizon coach Bryan Casey. “I told the girls, “You make me old every game.’ They (Centennial) did a great job at the end. It would have been easy to fold their tent.’’

Centennial came back despite losing starting pitcher Paige Mills to an injury in the sixth.

Horizon’s Megan Howard hit a hot smash right at Mills’ head. The sophomore got her glove hand up just in time to absorb some of the velocity, but it still deflected off one of her eyebrows and to the ground without a throw to first. Mills left the game, suffering a gash above the eye that swelled and closed the eye briefly, but her condition appeared to be stable.

Angelique Pitt drew a bases-loaded walk off the relief pitcher to break a 3-3 tie and Statman hit the grand slam to make it 8-3. Horizon added what proved to be the winning run on a double by Nicole Newbury and a single by Margaret Stahm.

Eighth-seeded Centennial (28-7) scored one run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to Skylar McCarty, followed by Beasley’s slam.

“We teach all the time about the team aspect and that’s what happened tonight. We pick each other up,’’ Casey said. “If Angelique (Pitt) doesn’t have a good eye at the plate and doesn’t draw that walk, then it (Statman’s slam) probably doesn’t happen.’’

Casey knows facing Basha will be a challenge. Horizon fell to the Bears in the (Scottsdale) Desert Mountain tournament 8-6 on March 20.

“We used three different pitchers in that game and I think we’re a different team now than we were then,’’ he said.