Rams softball finishing season this week

Going into the final week of their season, the Maricopa High School girls’ softball team  has put up a 12-16 record and are ranked 40th in Division III.

The top 32 teams qualify for the state tournament.

Coach Brandi Howell said she has been proud of the way her team rebounded from tough losses to take on the next opponents with a strong attitude.

After evening up their record at 12-12, however, the Rams lost four in a row. That was a picture of an inconsistent season that saw them win one tournament and finish second in another before struggling in the second half of the season.

Senior Amber Cramer last pitched March 18. She had an earned run average of 0.90, and her absence has been a challenge to the rest of the team.

Howell said she has been particularly proud of pitcher Rebecca Montes, who has appeared in a whopping 18 games. She pitched seven complete games and has a 6-10 record with a 5.87 earned run average.

Montes is also batting .411 and has batted in 12 runs.

Senior Skye Johnson leads the hitting for Maricopa with a .463 average. Junior Kayla Martinez leads the team in runs batted in with 23 and home runs with two. She is batting .427.

Senior Alyssa Estrada is batting .423 and leads the team in runs scored with 26 and triples with five. Senior Alison Korittky is batting .415 and leads the team in doubles with 10.

Senior Night is Tuesday against Higley, a conference game that starts at 3:45 p.m. The girls wind up the season at Sahuarita High School on Wednesday.