By Don Ketchum

It is rare when a freshman athlete gets a chance to make a major impact for a varsity team. Most of them are in awe of their surroundings, not sure what to think or do.

But Phoenix Pinnacle’s Jorian Baucom is not your ordinary freshman. She looks and plays more like a senior – a college senior.

Baucom was at her best on Saturday (Feb. 12) and so was her team. She scored a hat trick and the second-seeded Pioneers won their first Class 5A Division II title with a 4-2 victory over top-seeded Tucson Ironwood Ridge at Gilbert Campo Verde High.

Pinnacle finished the season at 21-0, Ironwood Ridge at 23-4. Pinnacle had finished as runner-up in 2009, 2006 and 2004, the last two in Class 4A.

“We expected them (Ironwood Ridge) to come and battle us, and they did. We needed to try to contain their strong attack,’’ said Pinnacle coach Kacey Bingham.

“As I told the girls (afterward), it is a lot more enjoyable when a team makes you work for it, and we had to work hard for this one.’’

Baucom scored the first goal in the seventh minute for a 1-0 lead. She scored again for a 2-0 advantage.

Ironwood Ridge (23-4) cut its deficit in half when Morgan Sibson scored.

Pinnacle made it 3-1 when Jenny Richards sent a free kick toward the goal from about 30 yards away. The ball bounced high and over the goalkeeper into the net.

Since the match was played on artificial turf, would the ball have bounced as high on a normal grass surface?

“You never know with those things. Almost anything can happen,’’ Bingham said.

Ironwood Ridge would not give up. It cut the lead to 3-2 in the 71^st minute on a goal by Breck Robinson. The Nighthawks had a good chance to tie it about three minutes later, but a header just barely went over the top of the goal.

Baucom perhaps saved her best for last. With the ball about to roll out of bounds to the right of the Ironwood Ridge goal, the goalkeeper wanted to make sure by kicking it out. Baucom hustled to keep the ball in play and, realizing the keeper was out of position, spun and booted the ball home into the empty net with 13.6 seconds left.

Bingham said Baucom has been averaging between two and three goals per game.

“She is amazing,’’ Bingham said.

Of her last goal, Baucom said, “I worked my (tail) off to get the ball, stayed composed and kicked it. It feels amazing, feels so great to win the championship. The whole team came here to fight today and we did.’’

Winning the title will be something the players will remember for a long time, according to Bingham.

“Even great teams don’t really think they’re going to go undefeated, but we did it,’’ she said. “Someone once told me that some teams just don’t know how to lose, and I think we were that way.’’