For theatrical purposes, it was more entertaining for Desert Edge’s home fans to watch Sydney McLeod’s bat finish what her pitching arm couldn’t.

McLeod, a left-hander, likely wanted a ho-hum 1-2-3 seventh inning, but Verrado had other plans. That left McLeod with no other choice but to take the exhilarating route in the seventh inning, a three-run walk-off blast that finally squashed Desert Edge’s section nemesis.

The 11-8 win Thursday gave Desert Edge the inside track toward a section title and high seed in the Division II state softball tournament.

“It feels good,” McLeod said. “The emotions are high, and I’m very excited.”

The junior didn’t get discouraged despite allowing a three-run triple to Katelyn Acton and RBI single to Alex Sonoqui in the seventh to tie the game at 8-8.

When she got in trouble, McLeod got some much needed advice from an Arizona softball pitching legend, Dallas Escobedo, a state champ with St. Mary’s High and national champ with Arizona State, who is Desert Edge’s pitching coach.

“(Escobedo) told me to forget about it,” said McLeod about when Escobedo visited McLeod in the seventh inning. “It (Verrado tying the game.) happens. A pitcher’s mentality is to stay strong and go after it.”

Verrado had a runner on second after scoring its 8^th run, but McLeod forced the final two hitters she faced to ground out, helping set up her climatic moment at the plate.

Besides improving her pitching record to 13-1, McLeod also went 4 for 4 with five RBI’s.

                  (Desert Edge's Sydney McLeod is interviewed by Casey Pritchard of the West Valley View after her heroics Thursday. Photo by Jose Garcia/azpreps365.com)

Desert Edge’s leadoff hitter, Jaymee Lawton (3 for 5), opened the seventh with a leadoff single.

Ari Samaniego also got on base before Desert Edge’s cleanup hitter, McLeod, came up in the bottom of the seventh inning. Samaniego hit her team-leading 13^th home run during the game, and teammates Madelyn Calderon and Ambria Dorsey each had two hits.

Verrado’s Sierra Smith and Sonoquie had three hits a piece. Verrado put Desert Edge in a 2-0 hole after its first at bat.

But Desert Edge (23-2) went up 5-2 in the fourth and went ahead 8-4 in the sixth after a pinch-hit two RBI double by Ciana Camacho.

“We knew it was going to be a battle going into this game” Desert Edge’s first-year coach Hailee Nanchy said. “Every year it’s a battle against (Verrado).”

Verrado (21-5) coach Rich Stringer applauded the efforts of both teams, and during the game actually predicted that Desert Edge would walk off with the game.

“I told Hailee in the top of the 7^th we were going to score four to tie it, and they were going to beat us with a walk-off,” Stringer said. “I thought (Samaniego) would hit it but Sydney did. What a great job (Desert Edge) has done. Sydney, that was the most dominant I’ve ever seen her.”