By Don Ketchum

Rainy weather turned some of the softball infields at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix into a mushy brownie batter-like substance.

So that forced state-tournament organizers to move Wednesday night’s (May 9) Division II game and one of the Division I games to the outlying fields, which were in better shape.

For Peoria Sunrise Mountain, it wouldn’t have mattered if its game was moved to blacktop covered with broken glass. The Mustangs were not going to be denied.

The top-seeded team earned a spot in the Division II championship game at Arizona State on Monday (May 14) with a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Tucson Ironwood Ridge.

Sunrise Mountain (33-1) did it in dramatic fashion.

Danae King bounced a single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, then motored all the way around to score on Taylor Nowlin’s double that rolled to the fence in right-center. King slid across the plate just ahead of the catcher’s tag.

“I was just running as fast as I could,’’ said King, a sophomore third baseman. “I was coming in (toward the plate) and one of my teammates was yelling, “Get down (slide). Get down.’ So I did. This win was huge for us. It’s great to be in the finals.’’

Ironwood Ridge pitcher Makayla McAdams got the first two outs of the seventh, but King said she was going to wait for her pitch.

“I kept telling myself, “I can do this. I know I can get on (base).’ She (McAdams) was pitching me inside all night, so I figured she would try to do it again.’’

Mustangs coach Jody Pruitt waved King around from the third-base coaching box.

“It was a good thing the ball rolled to the fence. Danae needed that extra time,’’ Pruitt said. “But there was no reason to stop her. She was going to go no matter what.’’

The right-handed McAdams and Nowlin, a junior left-hander, were locked in a scoreless duel all night.

McAdams had given up just three hits and struck out eight through six innings. Nowlin finished with a five-hitter and struck out 10.

Ironwood Ridge (31-5) had runners at second and third with one out in the sixth after a pair of doubles. The second hit was of the bloop variety to right field and forced the first runner to hold until she made sure the ball dropped and went to third. Nowlin escaped by getting the last two outs.

Ironwood Ridge could get another shot at Sunrise Mountain if it can win its loser’s bracket game on Friday night in Tucson against second-seeded Tucson Canyon del Oro.