Walking into the Red Mountain softball complex can be a bit intimidating for the opposition.

There are so many indicators of the program’s excellence over the years. Teams that aren’t aware of the Mountain Lions’ success might look out from the first base dugout and see all the regalia and wonder what it might take to win.

Whether it is the Wall of Fame of former greats on the Red Mountain dugout, the six Arizona state championship signs on the left field wall or the 21 region championships on the right field wall, it can be a bit suffocating.

Unless it’s Corona del Sol.

The Aztecs entered Saturday’s 6A first-round playoff game at Red Mountain pretty loose after having won three in a row against the Mountain Lions, including upsetting top-seed Red Mountain in the first round and eliminating them in the quarterfinals as the 16th seed last year.

They also beat Red Mountain in a preseason tournament this year.

That streak, however, resoundly ended Saturday after No. 2 Red Mountain trounced No. 15 Corona 16-0 in four innings.

“It’s been frustrating and weighing on our shoulders,” leadoff hitter/shortstop Nina Montenegro said. “We didn’t let it get to our heads. For me, I looked at it as another softball game that we’re going to have to try and win. It doesn’t matter what the rankings are or who won the last game, we just had to go play our game.”

The Mountain Lions (19-4-1) scored 10 runs in the first inning, nine earned, after being patient early when Corona starter Caitlyn Ackerman struggled to find the zone. When the pitches were in the zone, Red Mountain struck, including during a grand slam by All-American candidate Peyton Westra.

Throw in a perfect game by senior Kendall Cochran (4 innings, 9 strikeouts) and the Mountain Lions moved on to the second round, where they will host No. 10 Sandra Day O’Connor, with a lot of momentum.

“I don’t have to do a lot of work when Kendall is pitching,” Montenegro said. “She gets so many swings and misses, it’s fun to watch her do her thing.”

Westra (2-for-3 with a HR, five RBI) and Cochran (19-3) weren’t the only ones that pushed the Mountain Lions to the run-rule victory.

Every player in the lineup either drove in a run and or scored a run to contribute to the big win.

Third hole hitter Saige Peters had two hits, including a home run, and four RBI, junior Kayla Jones, called up from JV in midseason, hit a home run, and Montenegro had a single, walk and two-run double in four plate appearances.

“It’s what we preached all week,” Red Mountain coach Breana Macha-Peterson said. “Have your zone, your at bats and playing our side of the ball and not worrying about external factors. They did a good job of sticking to that.”

Corona (13-15) might have had a good run against Red Mountain, but the Mountain Lions are playing at another level now.

“We’re a completely different team than we were at the beginning of the year,” Peterson said. “It’s a different lineup, the girls have grown a lot over the last few months, and it goes to show the work they put in to come out and do that in this game.”

In the 6A, a team isn’t eliminated until its second tournament loss, so Corona will get another chance to step in the batter’s box. The Aztecs will travel to Tucson to take on No. 7 Sunnyside on Tuesday.

“We have to be perfect to beat a team like this and today we weren’t,” Corona del Sol coach Sean Thornton said. “With that said, we are battling and fighting through it. We get one more day of practice and get back after it on Tuesday.”