Savannah Kirkpatrick's line in Thursday's box score was 0-for-1 with two sacrifice bunts. A ho-hum day? Some might think so. But not Mesa Mountain View softball coach Joe Goodman.

"She put a couple bunts down and one helped us get the only run," Goodman said. "I'll take those any day."

Kirkpatrick's first sacrifice in the fifth inning advanced a runner to second and pinch-hitter Teddy Yellowman followed with a an RBI single to right that provided Mountain View the lone run and a 1-0 victory over Mesa High in a Division I game at Mesa.

Mountain View junior Val Kaff, the returning ace from last year's 5A-I semifinal squad, tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 13 to earn the win. Kaff outdueled Mesa's Sierra Whitmer, who other than the strikeouts, was a match for Kaff. Whitmer also gave up just three hits. She struck out six. Mountain View is now 6-5 overall and 2-2 in power-point games. Mesa dropped to 5-5 overall and 2-2 ppg.

The difference was the manufactured run by Mountain View in the fifth and a few little things later in the contest related to decision-making and execution.

The first took place in the bottom of the sixth. Aubrey Whitmer drew a one-out walk from Kaff. After Kaff fanned Whitmer's twin-sister Sierra on a 3-2 pitch,, Mesa cleanup hitter Melissa Milligan launched a fly ball over the head of Mountain View left fielder Kaity Sanders.

With two outs Aubrey Whitmer was going to score easily from first. The ball, however, bounced into the ivy in left field. Sanders raised her arms signaling the umpires the ball was stuck. That made it a ground-rule double and Whitmer had to return to third. Kaff secured the third out by striking out Marisol Sandoval.

"Kaity was a little down we pinch hit for her, but being alert and signaling the umpires that ball was stuck was a heads-up play," Goodman said.

Mesa had another chance to even the game in the bottom of the seventh. Alisha Shoemaker led off with a walk. An attempt at bunting her to second failed, but a wild pitch two ptiches later did the job. Christina Terry then hit a slow bouncer to first. Shoemaker hesitated and didn't advance to third. Still in scoring position, Kaff made it a moot point by striking out the next two hitters to end the game.