By Don Ketchum

It was a frustrating end to the softball season for Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge.

The team lost a tough 1-0 game to Peoria Sunrise Mountain in the quarterfinals of the Division II state tournament, then fell to Oro Valley rival Canyon del Oro in the semifinals before CDO went on to defeat Sunrise Mountain for the championship.

The most frustrated was Ironwood Ridge pitcher Makayla McAdams.

So she went into Wednesday’s (June 6) Arizona Coaches Association Division II All-Star game hoping for a bit of redemption.

McAdams got it, pitching four hitless innings and collecting a pair of hits and a walk as the South rolled past the North 9-2 at Gilbert Mesquite High.

She was named the game’s MVP and said, “This eases the frustration just a tad. The season was bittersweet, because we went up against CDO and I have known most of those girls and played with or against them since we were 10.

“This time, we were all on the same team, so it’s good to be able to win it with them.’’

McAdams, who is headed to New Mexico State, also was able to pitch on Wednesday with her Ironwood Ridge teammate, Robin Landrith, as her batterymate.

CDO’s coach, Stephanie Nicholson, was the South coach. She knows how tough it was to defeat McAdams and was glad to be on the same team for a change.

“It is tough being rivals. I didn’t really know her (McAdams) personally because she was on the other side, but this week gave us an opportunity to know everyone better. It was an honor to coach her and everyone else on our team,’’ Nicholson said.

The South had a 5-2 lead after the sixth inning, and put the game away by scoring four more in the top of the seventh.

Rianna Dobbs of Queen Creek led the way for the South with three RBIs, on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a two-run double in the seventh.

The North only got three hits, and Queen Creek’s Amanda Baldwin pitched the final three innings for the South.