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The third-ranked Ray softball team won its sixth and seventh-straight games last week, defeating visiting Ft. Thomas last Tuesday before a lopsided 16 – 0 shutout at Alchesay last Friday.
Sophomore Janae Ruiz had four hits, including a double and a homerun, with an RBI in the 11 – 1 win against the Apaches.
Tara Lorona, Stormee Galka and Ashley Ortiz each had two hits, including a double and a triple from Lorona and Galka, respectively. Ortiz and Savnnah Willis each drove in two runs and Galka had a game-high three RBI.
Galka and Daniella Hinojos combined to limit the Apaches to only one run on three hits. The duo did not walk any batters and fanned nine.
Hinojos came back on Friday and tossed a no-hitter against the Falcons. The freshman right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out nine in the four-inning outing.
Willis and Galka each had four hits in the shutout win, which includes two homeruns by Galka and a double from Willis. The senior teammates combined to drive in nine runs, seven of them by Galka.
In addition to her dominance in the circle, Hinojos helped herself at the plate with three hits, including a double. Janae Ruiz had two hits as well, one of them a double.
Upcoming schedule: Apr. 26 vs. Pima and Apr. 27 at Superior (regular season finale). Both games are scheduled for 4 p.m.
Janae Ruiz crosses home plate with Lady Cats’ first run of the game against Ft. Thomas last Tuesday.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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