Anthem softball squad wins state championship
STAFF REPORT ~ 7/28/2010

The High Desert Little League champions, consisting of girls ages 10 – 11 from Anthem, won the state championship in Tucson Saturday.
In winning the five-team event in Tucson, the team went 5-1 to claim the state title at the conclusion of the week-long tournament.
The team from Anthem, coached by manager Brian Binns and assisted by coaches Jim Ainsworth and Mike Raum, showed that they would be a force to be reckoned with early in the event. On the first day of the tournament they defeated Thorny Dale, 21-11 on July 20 and followed that up with a 29-1 pasting of Queen Creek on July 21.
After falling to Flagstaff 1-0 on Thursday the High Desert Little League champions were forced to navigate the losers’ bracket in order to have a chance at winning the state title.
By defeating Los Ninos 9-7 on Friday, High Desert earned a shot at redemption against Flagstaff, which came out of the winner’s side of the bracket.
On Saturday, needing to beat Flagstaff twice, High Desert Little League earned a 5-0 win in the first game setting up a tie-breaker for the championship. The team from Anthem would leave little doubt about the superior team as they earned a run-rule victory in the second game, a 10-0 margin, to claim the state title.
Brianna Binns and Emma Vesely led the way for the Anthem squad on Saturday as the two pitchers blanked Flagstaff offensively.
Binns and Vesely were joined in the winning effort by Tori Ainsworth, who drove in the only run the team would need in the championship game. The team also included Brittney Marino, Alexis Malave, Jordan Rodenkirk, Erin McLoughlin, Rachael Wood, Hunter Raum, Allyson Johnson and Speedy Daigneau.