The No. 15 Eagles defeated the No. 18 Arcadia 11-5 at home in the 4A Conference play-in round at Flagstaff High School Wednesday, automatically advancing to the playoff bracket starting Saturday.

Flagstaff Softball beat Arcadia 11-5 in a 4A play-in.Eagles face opponents to be named later Saturday in playoffs pic.twitter.com/tOPMAZDueh

— Eric Newman (@enewmanwrites) April 27, 2023

Flagstaff (15-4, 9-3, Grand Canyon) turned the tide after a difficult stretch in hitting over the past few weeks. They had lost three of his games in the last four regions and had no consistent contact, but scored enough to overtake the Titans in important contests.

“We weren’t thinking about this game.

Schmitz was one of the Eagles’ most efficient hitters, going 3-for-4 at bat with four RBIs and a two-run homer. Flagstaff has eight of his nine starting hitters and he has been on base at least once.

Junior Gianna Baka went 2-for-2 with 2 walks and 3 runs. Senior Danika Wilson went 2-for-3 with 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base and 1 walk, while junior Kamiya June went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI, 1 run and a triple.

The win was rewarding for the Eagles, but not just because the season was extended. Wednesday’s game was also probably the last home game of the season.

“I’m not going to play baseball after high school, so technically this could have been my last game in high school,” Schmitz said. “So I’m grateful that we were able to overcome that and all the nerves, and we came out on top. I can’t wait to see what we can do next.”

“These girls had a great time. The weather and adversity they’ve had so far haven’t played much here. It’s a positive result, giving our seniors a win,” added assistant manager Rudy Baka.

The game was the first few fights. There was definite tension in the opening frame, but Schmitz hit an RBI single to score the Baka and give the Eagles a 1–0 advantage.

Her first blow softened her feelings a little.

“I’m telling myself, ‘You’re good enough to win, but you need to stay calm and do one little thing at a time instead of doing everything at once.’ It helped me calm down.” said Schmitz.

Then in her second at-bat, in the bottom of the third, the Titans led 2–1. Gianna Baka singled to base, and she was at second base after junior Olivia Lansens hit a sacrifice bunt.

Schmitz teed up high and went over the left field wall with ease.

“I felt better immediately,” Schmitz said with a smile.

But Titan responded well. Flagstaff freshman pitcher Kyrie Culwell relieved Gianna Baka in the top of the fourth. She looked a little uneasy in the pitchers’ circle in her first Arcadia at-bat, playing her first postseason game, giving up two runs to give the Titans a 4–3 lead.

After a troublesome innings, however, Calwell took control of the game. She allowed only one more run in her final three innings.

“She came in and was a little rusty at first, but settled down really well and got into the ditch. Then she looked good from there,” said Rudy Baka.

Culwell helped his cause in the bottom of the fourth, hitting an RBI single to score June and tie the game at 4–4. Lansens then singled to score Jr. Keely Callander to give the Eagles a 5–4 lead they would never lose.

Flagstaff added two more in the bottom of the fifth and four in the bottom of the sixth to blow the game.

“Kyrie was on the mound and the defense was playing, so I thought we cemented the win,” Rudy Baka said.

The Titans needed six runs in the top of the seventh to extend the game, loading the bases with two outs.

Culwell drew a ground ball from the final batter, fielded easily, and fired the ball to Schmitz at first base to secure the win.

“I feel relieved,” Schmitz said. “Knowing that we were at the top and to have achieved it at the end was great.”

The Eagles will play a road game on Saturday in the first round of the playoffs. Opponents will be announced later this week.