21 up, 21 down: Rader’s perfect game leads Lady Hawks over San Luis to keep playoff hopes alive
Klarissa Rader sat down 21 straight batters to lift Lady Hawks to another big win
YUMA, Ariz., (KYMA, KECY) - Gila Ridge Lady Hawks softball has put together quite the resume as a program of late - in a run consisting of six straight trips to the state playoffs between 4A and 5A.
And in their first year of 6A ball, that streak was on the line Thursday - just one spot shy in the power rankings of reaching the play-in round for state tournament with just three games remaining.
Enter Klarissa Rader.
In one of the biggest games of the year for the Hawks, Rader was dialed in from the first pitch to the last - tossing a perfect game and sealing the season sweep over San Luis.
It was a pitcher's duel on Thursday between Rader and her counterpart, Daysy Juarez for the Sidewinders. The game entered the sixth inning with just a 1-0 lead for Gila Ridge before the Hawks loaded the bases.
Then Isabella Beltran delivered a big two-run single to push the lead to 3-0. That's when Rader completed the job en route to the win on Senior Day.
"Just having our conversation right now it was 'hey, keep hitting, keep playing solid defense because it matters. The next two games matter a ton,'" said head coach Courtney Reed. "The girls know it. The pressure is on, but I think they can handle it."
The win also sets themselves up for a chance to sneak into the play-in round with games against Kofa and the season finale at Shadow Ridge - who sits at No. 8 in all of 6A. A win would most likely earn them a jump in the standings and keep their season alive.
