The Ray Junior High softball team will receive a first round bye into the Central League Playoffs that begin quarterfinal action today.
The ladies carry a 7-1 record into the tournament and most likely will be the #2 seed. They would only earn the #1 seed if Eloy lost to the Miami team with a 1-6 this past Monday. The results of that contest were not known by the deadline for this article. With an Eloy win however, Ray and Eloy would have identical 7-1 records but Eloy will claim the #1 seed in the tourney by virtue of beating Ray earlier this season.
As the #2 seed the Bearcats would play the Globe –Superior winner at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Eloy. As the #1 seed, the Bearcats would play the Hayden-Mt. Vista winner at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Eloy. The CJHL tournament games in Eloy will be played at the Santa Cruz High School complex.
The Ray junior high girls concluded their regular season last Wednesday by soundly beating a depleted San Carlos team 22-0. The Bearcats put the game out of reach in the first inning by batting around and scoring 13 runs in the inning. Ray picked up another two runs in the second and seven more in the third. The game was so lopsided that Ray’s coach Rikki Galka was trying to have her team make outs to keep from adding to the score. The game ended after 3 ½ innings due to the 10-run rule. It’s probably safe to say every Bearcat scored and got a hit or walked in the contest. Savannah Willis and Stormee Galka both hit homeruns and Gabby Juvera and Nepeese Avechuco crushed doubles. The Bearcats received 10 walks and pounded out 14 hits in the contest. Ray pitchers, Stormee Galka, Dany West and Gabby Juvera did great jobs by holding San Carlos scoreless.
In boy’s action, the Bearcat baseball team will enter the CJHL tournament as the #6 seed and will play at #3 Globe this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The game has been moved up to allow the teams to play on the Globe High School field which is a much nicer facility. If the Bearcats win today they would advance to the CJHL Championship tournament in Eloy on Saturday and play #2 Miami at 9 a.m.
The Bearcats were off last week as they received a forfeit win from San Carlos as the Braves dropped out of the league due to a lack of interest. The baseball team will enter the quarterfinals with a 4-5 record on the year.
Good luck to both our Bearcat teams in the CJHL tournament.