The Phoenix Heat took it to the AZ Legacy on Sunday in the 16u championship of the USSSA Sunny Classic Qualifier, winning 9-3 at Big League Dreams.

The Heat burned out of the gates when Quinn Johnson smoked a ball into the gap in left-center for a leadoff triple. Johnson wouldn’t have to wait long to touch home plate as the next batter, Chelsey Goddard, drove her home by grounding to second.

The Legacy scored two of their own in the bottom half of the inning on a two-RBI single by Ashlee Bierworth.

The Heat answered by scoring two more runs in the third, which started with singles by Kayla Macias and Courtney Taylor. Both later scored on sacrifices by Johnson and Goddard.

Taylor scored the only run in the fourth inning and highlighted a five-run fifth by scoring for a second time.

Heat pitcher Paysen Arballo pitched a complete game, allowing three runs and scattering seven hits over five innings. Arballo allowed two runs and three hits in the first inning, but defensive adjustments and advice from her coach, Juanito Dorado, calmed her down.

“We saw they wanted to play a lot of small ball,” Dorado said, “so we brought the corners in, kept the ball away (from the batters). If they were bunting, we pitched them inside and after that, once you take away the small game, our defense was solid the rest of the way.”

Adriana Gutierrez drove in Axyana Gutierrez in the fifth to start a late-game Legacy rally, but the Heat left two runners stranded to end the inning and the game.

Allison Starkweather went 2-for-3 and scored a run.