ROYAL CITY - Things are looking good for the Royal High softball team, posting a 3-0 record to start the campaign.

The Knights took a relatively easy season-opening doubleheader sweep of Granger,11-0 and 22-11, on March 22. Then Royal took on Cascade, which has a winning tradition, last week and rallied late for a 13-11 win.

It was a back and forth affair in which Royal outlasted the Kodiaks. Cascade scored four runs in the seventh inning, but the Royal defense choked off the comeback in time.

In the sixth, with five Cascade runs in, no outs and the bases loaded, junior shortstop Flor Araujo snatched a hard hit line drive. She caught the runner at second base off the bag for a double play.

"It was a great way to start the season, and I'm really looking forward to what these girls are going to make happen over the next few weeks," coach Robyn Valdez said.

Royal took charge early, putting Cascade down in order in the first. The Knights scored four runs on four hits to take the lead in the bottom of the frame.

Royal led 5-2 after three innings. But Cascade came on strong in the fourth, scoring five runs to go ahead 7-5.

"It was a long inning, and I could tell the girls were starting to feel defeated," Valdez said. "But we came back for eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings."

Senior Carmen Rodriguez led the hitting, going 3-for-4 with a ground rule double that hopped the fence. Kayla Smith and Flor Araujo had two RBI. Senior Seila Jenks was in the circle. She struck out four and gave up two walks.

Both Granger games ended after five innings. McDarra von Stein and Araujo legged out inside the park home runs. Von Stein led the offense in the second game, going 5-5.

"It's hard to single out anyone individually because as a team they all did amazing," Valdez said.

In the second game, Jenks and Ashley Valle went 4-5, Carmen Rodriguez and Kailee Harris batted 3-4, and Taylor Freeman hit 4-4. Every player batted twice in the first inning, some three times.