Two graduating Maricopa High School athletes, who have played softball together since they were 7, signed Friday with Scottsdale Community College’s softball team.

Alexandria Armstrong, second base player and pitcher for the Rams, and Leah Montes, at shortstop, had successful seasons for the Rams with a 20-2 win-loss record. The two best friends will now cover the softball diamond’s middle for the Fighting Artichokes.

Each earned a full scholarship as players. Armstrong carries a 4.0 grade point average and Montes a 3.9 GPA.

Both plan careers in nursing.

Armstong follows in her sister Adriana’s footsteps. Adriana now plays SCC softball and is heading for Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, to play there.

“I always looked up to my sister,” Armstrong said. “She’s the reason I started softball.”

Armstrong said Adriana inspired her to play at SCC.

Montes said she graduated a year early to play with her best friend, Alexandria.

Montes said she was thrilled to be joining her best friend at SCC.

“It’s nice to know someone on the field, and she’s like my sister so we’re just going to go through this together,” Montes said.

She said both she and Armstrong were recruited by SCC athletics.

Jeff Chew, Reporter
Jeff Chew, Reporter
Jeff Chew is pushing 50 years in journalism after working at large, medium and small daily and weekly news publications. He retired in 2019 but got the itch to return to a digital newsroom after four years of vegetable gardening. He’s worked in all facets of editing and reporting, from Lake Havasu City to Dallas, Texas, and Colorado Springs to California’s Bay Area. He last worked as a reporter, broadcaster and editor at Washington state’s capitol in Olympia and on the North Olympic Peninsula. He also has experience in radio and video news writing and editing. He is a broadcast journalism graduate at Arizona State University and a Province resident.

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