Miles Unale is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain Ridge High School for AZPreps365.com.

Despite a lopsided final score, Mountain Ridge softball found plenty to build on in Wednesday’s 21-4 loss to Queen Creek, one of the top-ranked teams in the state. The game served as a valuable learning opportunity for a Mountain Lions squad continuing to grow late in the season.

Sophomore Gianna Torres, who entered the game leading the Desert Valley Region in ERA, wins and strikeouts, got the start in the circle. Though she gave up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, Torres still showed flashes of dominance, striking out eight and battling through some seeing-eye singles.

Torres also tried to spark the offense herself, drilling a two-run home run in the fifth inning, her second of the season.

Sophomore Daisy Herrera continued her power surge and launched her sixth home run of the year, tying her for third in the Desert Valley region.

“Since I'm not the biggest, I have to utilize the parts that are beneficial, which is the power that comes from the legs,” Herrera said. “I feel I work a lot with weight training and using my legs in my stance to make sure I get enough power.”

Senior first baseman Ainsley Cottrell added a hit of her own, going 1-for-3 to maintain her impressive .466 batting average and .556 on-base percentage. Even in a tough game, Cottrell stuck to her approach.

“I think I am aggressive, but I try to extend at-bats and just look for any way on base,” Cottrell said. “Especially in games like this where we’re behind, I’m just trying to create something and keep the line moving.”

Freshman Alexis Bouman came in to relieve Torres but struggled against Queen Creek’s deep and powerful lineup, which produced five home runs from five different players.

Still, head coach Bobby Pena saw value in Bouman getting those reps against elite competition.

“It’s really good experience for her,” he said. “Even though she's a freshman and you're dealing with hitters that are D1 type quality hitters, it may seem like you’re overmatched. I try not to allow her to look at it that way because she's a young talent and she's very good”

With four regular-season games remaining, all against top eight ranked teams, Pena is using this final stretch to prepare his players for what lies ahead.

“These are great learning experiences,” he said. “And this is the kind of team we might play in the state championship, so these games help us see what that level looks like. Hopefully that intensity and quality rubs off on us a bit. It’s about how we respond, how we take these games and grow from them. I think our girls are ready for that challenge.”

With the loss, Mountain Ridge drops to 14-6, while Queen Creek improves to 19-5. Mountain Ridge returns to action to take on Boulder Creek less than 24 hours away on Thursday afternoon, aiming to bounce back heading into the postseason.