It is known, perhaps trademarked now, as the Red Mountain Way.

In softball that means Red Mountain had to fight its way back through the 5A-I state tournament loser's bracket for the chance to play for the championship. For the fourth time in six years of the double-elimination format, Red Mountain won twice on semifinal Wednesday to advance to winner-take-all Friday.

This one was the hardest of the bunch as Mesa Mountain View pushed Red Mountain to the limit in both games. Red Mountain rallied from behind late in both games, scoring 11-8 and 7-6 victories over the previously unbeaten Toros at the Rose Mofford Softball Complex.

Red Mountain goes for a repeat  Friday at 8 p.m. at Rose Mofford against Basha, which defeated Gilbertin a second game, 11-1, after losing the first game with Gilbert by the same score. Last year Red Mountain beat Mountain Ridge twice to advance. Victims of semifinal sweeps other years were Xavier (2009) and Buena (2006).

"There is no give up in this group," Red Mountain coach Rich Hamilton said, incredulously looking at the scoreboard on Field 1 to make sure he was not seeing things.

Red Mountain used a five-run, fifth inning in the first game, capped by what proved to be a game-winning grand slam by Brittany Dvorak that put the Mountain Lions in front, 10-7, after they blew a 5-0 lead earlier in the game.

Then in the second game, trailing 6-5 heading to their final at-bat in the top of the seventh thanks to a tie-breaking homer by Mountain View freshman catcher Sydney Ryan, the Mountain Lions scratched out five singles to score twice and regain the lead, 7-6. The game-winning hit proved to be an RBI single by leadoff hitter Haley Culley, the hardest hit ball of the inning.

"I feel like I've been kicked in the groin," Mountain View coach Bill Roberts said. "But I'll tell you I'm so proud of these girls. I can't say enough about them. There are not enough positive adjectives to describe them. They are fighters. You just have to give credit where credit is due to Red Mountain for that last rally."

Red Mountain got a gutty pithcing effort in both games from freshman Breanna Macha, who went the distance in both. After giving up six runs in the second inning of the first game that erased a 5-0 lead for her team, she settled down to allow three runs the rest of the way while her offense picked her up.

In the second game, she gave up runs in four of the seven innings, but battled an equally game Amy Tarnowski of Mountain View to the very end.

"We didn't feel like pitching Amy in the second game was a roll of the dice at all," Roberts said. "She did a great job."

Hamilton had a hole to fill in the pitching department this season with the graduation of ace Mel Willadsen. But Macha and  Siera Phillips have piloted the team, along with a prolifici offense, to a 30-8 record.

"Breanna has really grown up the last few weeks," Hamilton said. "One tough inning in the first game, but she just battled hard the rest of the night."

Basha punched its ticket behind Kailey Regester's pitching and an offense that piled up 11 runs in an 11-1 win over Gilbert. Gilbert won the first game between the teams, 11-1, to force the deciding game. In Gilbert's 11-1 win, Elysia Mesa belted a three-run homer and   Cassie Vela knocked in four runs with a pair of hits to back the four-hit pitching of Michelle Duncan.

Basha coach Scott Hoffmeyer removed Regester after five innings of the first game when his team fell behind Gilbert and Duncan, 6-1. Regester was sharp in the second game, getting plenty of run support and closing out the Tigers in six innings.