Joseph City split their two games played last week, but with just one regular season game left, they should still head to the state playoffs as the number one seed in the 1A final rankings.
Playing in Williams on Thursday, the Wildcats scored in runs in each of the first five innings. They gave up just 1 run to the home team, which came in the third frame. Joseph City put the game out of reach with 4 runs in the fourth, then ended the game with 5 more in the fifth for a final score of 13-1.
Friday’s highly anticipated match-up with Show Low finished as a close game, but through the first three innings, the Wildcats found themselves trailing 7-0 to the fourth ranked 3A team.
Joseph City scored 1 run in the fourth but again fell behind by 7 runs when the Cougars matched that run in the top of the fifth. The Wildcats tried a late-game rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring 5 runs to make the score respectable, but they eventually lost the contest 8-6.
The Lady Wildcats will have played their final regular-season game at Ash Fork/Seligman on Monday. An expected win will send them to the 1A state playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed when the state tournament begins on Friday. As the higher seed, Joseph City will host the first two rounds if they win.
The semifinal round will be played at Papago Sports Complex on May 7. The championship game would be played at ASU’s Farrington Stadium on May 12.
