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Superior Sun
Superior Little League Senior Softball pitcher Ivie Lopez threw a one-hitter in her team’s five-inning 11 – 1 victory over higher-seeded Blythe on July 13 in the first round of the Senior Softball Arizona State All-Star Tournament, which is being played at the Copper Sky Recreation Center in Maricopa.
Coming up with glittering performances in big games is nothing new for Lopez, a member of the 2015 state champion Superior High School softball team. She was the winning pitcher in the Division IV state championship game, throwing a four-hit complete-game shutout against defending back-to-back champion San Manuel in the Panthers’ 3 – 0 victory.
The Superior LL Senior Softball Team defeated Maricopa on July 3 to win the District 4 Championship and earn a berth in the state tournament. Superior, the No. 5 seed, is one of four teams vying for the state championship along with Blythe, Sunnyside, and Queen Creek.
Blythe is the tournament’s highest seeded team at No. 2. Queen Creek is a six-seed and Sunnyside is No. 14.
Monday’s victory, an upset of sorts, advanced Superior to the second round on Tuesday, where it took on No. 14 Sunnyside, the District 12 champions. With a second-round win, Superior would next play on Thursday, July 16. A loss would have them play again Wednesday, July 15, in the double-elimination tournament.
For game results and a look at the complete tournament bracket visit the Superior Little League Facebook page.
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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