by 
Copper Area News
After a regular season that found them at, or near, the top of the rankings each week, the 5th-seeded Lady Panthers will play a second-round playoff game this Friday. They’ll take on 12th-seeded Bisbee at the Rose Mofford Softball Complex – Field #3. The game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
In the Lady Panthers’ 17 – 14 victory over Miami in the regular season finale, Cierra Navarrette and Phalicitee Thomas each homered. Navarrette had four hits and five RBI in the game. Thomas tripled in the game. Gabby Salcido, Ashlee Guera, and Juliana Ortega each recorded a multi-hit game versus Miami.
The Panthers, who won their final three games of the regular season, have three players – Cierra Navarrette, Elizabeth Ochoa, and Hunter Flanagan – among the top five leaders in batting average in their section. Gabby Salcido is the leading homerun hitter with nine in Section VI, the toughest section in Division IV.
The Lady Panthers will look to extend their winning streak to four games with a second-round victory over Bisbee on Friday night. With a win, they’ll play the winner between 13th-seeded Phoenix Country Day and 4th-seeded Ray on May 10 at the Rose Mofford Softball Complex.
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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