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Superior Senior League Softball Team
Arizona Senior League Softball State Champion Superior saw its season come to an end following a 6 – 3 loss to Northern California – Antioch on Monday night at the Senior League Softball West Regional Tournament in Missoula, Montana.
Superior, which finished pool play with a record of 3 – 3, earned the No. 4 seed in the single-elimination tournament bracket. Antioch, the No. 5 seed with a 2 – 4 record in pool play, proved it’s always difficult to defeat the same team twice after Superior edged the Northern California representative on the opening day of pool play last Friday, 2 – 1.
Antioch will now face top-seeded and tournament host Garden City from Missoula in the semifinals.
Superior pitcher KiKi Arriola dominated opposing teams at the district and state tournaments, leading her team to an undefeated 7 – 0 record on the way to the district and state titles. In addition to Arriola’s performance in the circle, Superior was swinging the bats well in Arizona.
The outstanding pitching continued at the West Regional Tournament for Superior, which allowed less than three runs per game in its three victories. Even in two of Superior’s three losses, the pitching was good enough to win.
Unfortunately, the others teams at the tournament brought strong pitching as well and silenced Superior’s offense throughout the tournament, less a 13 – 6 win against Washington in the tourney opener last Friday.
Although difficult to comprehend at this moment, the Superior Senior Leaguers have much to be proud of, including a lasting memory for the town’s residents. In time, the memory of this season and the summer of 2016 will be a great one.
Congratulations to all of the players, coaches and parents associated with the State Champion Superior Senior League Softball Team.
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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