05/08/2026
Baseball and Softball PLAYOFFS! Good luck to all our Speed School athletes!
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At the 3A level, Tanque Verde senior Rocco Haggard was the winning pitcher – and added a home run of his own at the plate – in helping lead his Hawks team (Speed School athletes Brennon Barnhart, Ryan Ashcraft, Corbin Lyski, and Jack Elmerick) to a first-round win over Empire⚾️
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Not to be outdone, younger sister Ella Haggard led off the 4th inning of her first-round game with a double and would later score in a 2-0 win to send her Tanque Verde team (Speed School athletes Cassidy Jones, Julia Pratt, Lizzy Pratt, Shea Reilly) to the quarterfinals and a much-anticipated matchup with rival Empire🥎
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At the 5A level, Speed School athlete Isaac Kirkendall and his Catalina Foothills (Aidan Brown, Easton Altherr) team are now in the third round following convincing 7-0 and 9-2 wins to start the playoffs. Kirkendall struck out three and limited Nogales to one hit in the second round⚾️
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The Salpointe girls’ team, always a powerhouse at the 4A level with Speed School athletes Cierra Aguilar, Peaches Sztan, Addi Wild, Taylor Basken, and Lexi Corella), won in fast fashion with a 10-0 run rule victory in five innings, advancing to the third round on Saturday 🥎
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On the opposing side of the 4A bracket, sophomore Caeli Shellenbarger – currently 4th in RBI on the season – and her Mica Mountain team have advanced with a 7-2 win 🥎
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Finally, #2 Salpointe (Anthony Milo, Cosimo Milo, Jude Huether) suffered a second-round loss in the 4A bracket, but quickly rebounded to advance in the losers’ bracket with a 15-4 win in 5 innings. The Lancers now face ALA-Gilbert on Saturday in an elimination game ⚾️
(📷: Andy Morales, AllSportsTucson)
