“They don’t know us, and we don’t know them.’’

That’s the assessment of Show Low softball coach Carl Nix about his eighth-seeded team’s Division III state tournament game on Saturday (May 4) against top-seeded Tucson Empire. First pitch is at 9:30 a.m. at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in north Phoenix.

Empire advanced with a 7-1 victory over No. 17 Lakeside Blue Ridge.

For Nix and his Cougars, it’s good to play with a clean slate, unlike their game on Friday night, when they faced White Mountains rival Round Valley for the third time this season and came away with a 9-3 victory.

Show Low defeated Round Valley in the two previous games, but playing a third time “sometimes worries me,’’ Nix said.

The worry lessened somewhat with a 4-0 Show Low lead after four innings, then disappeared into the night sky with a five-run sixth after ninth-seeded Round Valley had pulled within 4-2.

Sophomore pitcher Taylor Reidhead had a comfortable lead, but started to show signs of fatigue in the later innings. She finished with a 5-hitter.

Nix acknowledged that Reidhead is not as overpowering as some pitchers, “but when her pitches are working, she has enough speed to make everything effective.’’

Reidhead pitched out of a few jams, but Nix said, “I’m sure she would just as soon not get into jams in the first place.’’

Nix was thankful to have his offense pick up the pace. The Cougars had eight hits and were aggressive with bunting to move runners over and on the basepaths in general.

“We have the ability to score a lot of runs,’’ he said.

Show Low scored its first run in the first inning without a hit. The Cougars did it with a walk, a fielder’s choice grounder, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Reidhead.

Two more runs scored in the third on singles by Wesley Inman and Rebecca Holland. Monique Soto drove in a run in the fourth to make it 4-0.

Round Valley scored two in the sixth on two walks, a hit and an error.

The roof caved in on Round Valley in the sixth as Show Low scored five runs on two hits and three errors. A two-run double by Holland was the big hit.

Dustin Phelps gave Round Valley its final run in the seventh with a single.