Phoenix Horizon softball coach Lindsey Collins wasn’t exactly thrilled by her team’s sporadic hitting despite a victory over Phoenix Xavier Prep in last week’s regular-season finale.

So with a first-round bye in the Division I state tournament, Collins had the Huskies hit, hit and hit some more in the practice days that followed. They opened play on Tuesday (April 30) against visiting Scottsdale Desert Mountain.

It paid off in a big way as Horizon put together six runs on seven hits in the fifth inning to overcome a two-run deficit, and the Huskies went on to record an 8-3 victory.

Horizon, the No. 8 seed, now advances to the double-elimination portion of the tournament.

The Huskies will meet top-seeded Glendale Mountain Ridge on Wednesday night (May 1) at 7:30 at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex (Field #1) in north Phoenix. Mountain Ridge, which advanced with a 10-0 win over Gilbert Perry, has only one loss this season, and that was to Horizon in the first round of the Desert Mountain Invitational in March.

Ninth-seeded Desert Mountain had grabbed a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run bloop single and appeared to be headed toward its third win of the season over Horizon.

Horizon pitcher “T’’ Statman led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and things snowballed from there.

The big hit was a two-run triple by Statman’s batterymate, Margaret Stahm, and Stahm scored when the throw from the outfield went into the Desert Mountain dugout.

Horizon’s Kaila Jacobi later got caught in a rundown between third base and the plate on a grounder back to the circle by Haley Boyce and somehow managed to avoid the catcher’s tag to score. Boyce moved around to third base during the rundown and scampered home when Desert Mountain did not call time after the rundown.

After trailing, Collins said she knew her team “had a lot of fight left in us.

“The last time they played us, their pitcher (Andy Wellins) kept us off-balance, but I don’t think she did as much today.’’

Long-time Desert Mountain coach Rick Sharp was disappointed that Wellins, a senior, had to end her career on such terms, “but she’s done a great job for us. She has given us 75 wins in four years.’’

Most of Sharp’s players are underclassmen, and it looks like the Wolves will be well-stocked next season, when junior Cassie Belt likely will take over as Wellins’ successor.