by 
San Manuel Miner
The 2013 Softball State Champions have won three games in a row including shutout victories in their last two games. The Miners defeated Tombstone and Hayden last week by scores of 17 – 0 and 11 – 0, respectively.
Against the Yellow Jackets, the Miners scored in each of the five innings played on their way to the mercy-rule victory.
The Miners cranked out 15 hits, including 10 extra-base hits – 5 doubles and 5 triples – and had four players record multi-hit games. Junior Felicia Medina was 1 of the 4, as she went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and 2 RBI. Kadi Monfred, MacKenzie Vindiola, and Angelica Zuniga were the others with 2 or more hits in the game.
Sophomore Lyana Waddell faced 2 batters over the minimum in the five-inning, complete game shutout victory. She allowed only 1 hit and had 7 K.
In the game versus Hayden, Player of the Game Alvssa Cuellar led the way for the Miners by going 3-for-3 with a homerun and 4 RBI. Ashley Vargas and Felicia Medina each had 2 hits in the game.
Waddell was the winning pitcher against the Lobos as she notched her second consecutive complete game shutout. This time she faced only 1 batter over the minimum, allowed 5 hits, and had 3 K.
The Miners have won 5 of their last 6 games. They have scored at least 10 runs and allowed only a total of 4 runs in those 5 victories. The Miners have been dominating their opponents over the past 10 days.
Upcoming schedule: Mar. 25 vs. Pusch Ridge Academy, Mar. 26 @ Duncan, Mar. 28 vs. Florence, and Apr. 1 vs. Ft. Thomas. All games begin at 4:00 p.m. except the game vs. Florence, which begins at 11:45 a.m.
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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