Skyview softball had something to prove in 5A. Now the Hawks are state champs.
Go ahead and call the Hawks a team of destiny.
The Skyview softball team was all but counted out midway through the season and had to win a play-in game just to make the state tournament. But on Saturday, the Hawks beat District Three champion Rocky Mountain 14-8 to claim the first 5A state championship in program history.
It was the Hawks’ second win in as many days over Rocky Mountain, which was hailed by many as the best 5A team in the state. Skyview also knocked off perennial powerhouse Eagle on Friday to advance to the championship rounds of the double-elimination tournament.
“We’re just as good as everyone else, and we shouldn’t be underestimated,” Skyview pitcher Taylor Brewer said. “Everyone overlooks us, but we obviously just proved we can hold our own.”
Skyview moved up to the 5A classification in the 2018-19 school year, and this was the first time the Hawks made the state tournament at the highest level. Hawks coach Tim Souza knew his team had its work cut out for it, especially in the finals against a team that hits the ball as well at Rocky Mountain. But he also knew his girls were battle tested and ready for the challenge.
“They knew it was going to be difficult to get to where we needed to get to to compete for a state title,” said Souza, who also guided Mountain View to a state championship in 2014. “But the more they bought into learning how good they could be, they knew they could get there.”
The Hawks (20-11) entered the championship game a confident bunch after knocking off Mountain View 12-10 on Saturday morning in the semifinals. That confidence was tested after Rocky Mountain pulled within six with a four-run sixth inning. But after power hitter Lolo Walker‘s fly ball was caught at the center-field fence for the last out of the game, the celebration was on.
The win was especially meaningful for the Hawks’ only senior, Marissa Medina, who finished the game 3-for-4 with three singles and six RBIs.
“I feel like I left a legacy here,” Medina said. “We were pushing hard every single game to prove people wrong. Some games we kind of got down, but we had a lot of good people around us to pick each other up.”
Skyview was at a crossroads earlier this season after three-straight losses to Eagle, Timberline and Rocky Mountain, all state qualifiers. It later had to forfeit three conference wins. But the Hawks decided they weren’t going to crumble under the weight of a few losses.
“They just leaned into knowing it was going to be difficult,” Souza said. “We’ve been very steady and consistent in our approach, and we really didn’t give much thought to anything but the next game and taking care of that game.”
The Hawks won eight of their next 10 games and had to beat Borah in the district tournament to earn a state tournament play-in game against Lake City. They’ve been hyper focused since that win over Borah, Brewer said, and nothing could break it — not even prom.
Skyview’s prom was on the same day that the Hawks had to travel to Cottonwood to face Lake City. So after their 18-8 win, they spent the long bus ride home getting ready for the big dance. Brewer said she was the designated make-up stylist.
She said when she and her teammates are focused, there’s nobody in the state they can’t beat.
“That play-in game was such a hard time because we were kind of down going into it and everyone had prom on the back of their mind,” Brewer said. “But everyone thought we weren’t a team that could come here and do this, and we wanted to prove we’re not to be underestimated.”
Brewer pitched a complete game Saturday. She gave up 11 hits, including four home runs. But with the game on the line in the seventh inning, she allowed just one runner on base and secured the final three outs by convincing three of Rocky Mountain’s top hitters to pop out.
“Our offense is always going to be there for us. And when we learned how to pitch to those teams, it was all about playing defense behind that pitching,” Souza said.
Skyview racked up 15 hits in the championship game. Leadoff hitter Delaney Keith went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Analisa Zamora followed a four-RBI performance in the semifinals against Mountain View with two hits — one of which was a triple — and three RBIs.
The Hawks averaged 12 hits a game in the state tournament, and that kind of production from the plate is what spurred on their late-season charge, Souza said.
“We just believed in what we could accomplish,” Souza said. “Just keep getting better and the game will take care of itself when you get there.”
It helped that the championship rounds were moved from Mountain View to Skyview on Saturday morning because the Hawks’ fields could handle the rain that came and went all day. Playing on their home field was in many ways a comfort, Medina said. But it also added to the pressure that comes with a state title game.
“We just knew if we lost on our own field and in our own dugout, it would not be OK,” she said.
The Hawks don’t have to worry about pressure anymore. At least not until next season when they’re tasked with defending their state title.
Rocky Mountain was led at the plate Saturday by freshman Samantha Hatzenbeller, who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. She also replaced starting pitcher Megan Dobrev in the fourth inning and went the rest of the way.
Walker finished the game 2-for-4 with a homer, and Rylie Gilbreath added a solo home run of her own.
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 9:06 PM.
