Just eight days ago Perry met Hamilton in softball and came out on the short end of an 11-0 contest. Perry also lost its only game of the Marcos-Corona Softball Tournament Tuesday to Desert Ridge in crushing fashion, 9-1. All that amounted to payback Wednesday as Perry tucked away those bad memories with a 4-3 victory over Hamilton to win the championship of the annual tournament at Marcos de Niza High School.

Pool play held on Thursday, bracket play on Friday and Saturday.

Hamilton has never been a world beater in softball like it has in football and baseball. Not even close. But the 2011 softball team is making its presence known. Hamilton took advantage of physical and mental errors by Desert Mountain and got the unintentional help of an umpire Monday in edging the previously unbeaten Wolves, 5-4, in pool play at the Marcos de Niza-Corona del Sol Invitational at Marcos de Niza.

Former St. Mary\'s basketball players Simon, Whyte head the list.

It was not hard to get lost in the shuffle as a prep softball pitcher in the Valley the last few years. Gilbert hurler MIchelle Duncan can relate.

Gators defeat Sandra Day OConnor 7-0 for first win on artificial turf.

Basketball, wrestling and soccer will return next school year with new sectional formats.

Defense put Gilbert High in a hole Tuesday, but courageous base running and offense dug the Tigers out of that trench and on to an eighth consecutive victory. Cassie Vela stole home on a delayed steal to plate the tie-breaking run and Elysia Mesa ripped a two-run double for insurance a bit later as Gilbert defeated Desert Ridge, 7-4, in a 5A-I non-region softball game at Gilbert. It was the first power-point game of the season for both schools.

Gilbert, Perry and Buchanan High, Calif., are the lone remaining unbeaten teams after the firt two days of pool play in the annual Lion Country Classic Softball Tournament at Red Mountain and Skyline high schools.

Defending 5A-I softball champion Red Mountain had a game to forget opening defense of its title on Wednesday in its annual tournament. So when the Mountain Lions got the chance to redeem themselves Thursday, they did so with a little assistance from Mesquite.