ONLINE UPDATE: Muniz leads MP softball over DV

One costly error was enough for Mountain Pointe.

After an errant throw on a steal attempt led to two runs in the first inning, the Pride played near-flawless softball the rest of the way en route to a 9-2 win over rival Desert Vista (8-17-1, 0-5 Central Region) at home.

The Pride (15-12, 1-4) got a complete-game effort from junior pitcher Danielle Muniz, who struck out ten against only two walks and retired 21 of the final 23 batters she faced.

"The bats went dead ... and then their pitcher took over. We didn't hit her the rest of the way," said DV coach Chris Crowl. "They played some great defense behind her and we couldn't get anything done. We struggled all the way through: offensively, defensively. It wasn't a good day for us."

MP took the lead for good with a four-run second inning, sparked by center field Holly Phillips' two-run single. A wild pitch and sac fly later, the Pride led 4-2.

That's when Muniz took over, retiring 11-straight - including six on strikes.

"That's the normal (Muniz)," said MP coach Mel Wendell. "She's really shined here in region (play), which is nice to see because that's when we need her going strong."

MP added three more in the fourth to make it 7-2, then two insurance tallies in the sixth to round out the scoring.

DV pitchers walked a total of seven batters.

"We were disciplined at the plate when we needed to (be)," Wendell said. "We got some key walks and got key hits with the bases loaded."

The two teams meet again tomorrow afternoon at 4 at Desert Vista.

"The good thing about a bad day is you get a chance to start off fresh tomorrow," Crowl said. "We've got to have some pride when we step on the field. We've got to show that we care about playing the way we can, because all year these kids have competed and given us every opportunity, but today they didn't."