A half-hour delay, outside of the winning softball, may have showcased just as much about Discovery Canyon.

Lower-body cramps sent the home-plate umpire of the Thunder’s 11-1, six-inning win over Cheyenne Mountain into a lesson in medical practice Sept. 14

Trainers attended to the official, and all the while Discovery Canyon held its own pseudopractice. Scooping balls at first, working on throws to second and even a few dancing and singing lessons are all a part of the Thunder experience.

A near-shutout pitching performance from senior Stephani DeBise complemented clutch hitting from juniors Kameran Randolph, Avery Hixson and Kendall Baumgartner, the last of whom nailed a solo home run to enact the mercy rule.

The trio combined for seven hits and eight runs driven in, led by Randolph’s four.

The group has come a long way since a 2-7 start, and it plans to keep going, even if mid-game drills are what it takes.

“We try to play a tougher schedule up north early on,” coach Tanya Ramsay said. “But we put ourselves in this situation — having to come back from a bunch of early losses.

“We lost a few ballgames we shouldn’t have. And now I’m just telling them to write their own story, and make it a fun one.”

Through the bumpy start, practices haven’t changed.

The team has brought the same intensity and fire each day, even when game days have not gone their way. As the Thunder have grown, the bats have come alive — leading to 46 runs in the last five games.

“As a team, it’s rewarding to get over the hump,” Randolph said. “We’re doing what we know we can do, and what we did last season. Our coaches have pushed us to have more confidence in ourselves and we’re finding it.”

All along, the steadying presence for Discovery Canyon has been Hixson from behind the plate.

She once again served as a wall catching DeBise and blocking multiple balls with traffic on the base paths.

In five of her six innings, DeBise allowed a baserunner. Each time, she escaped outside of a double after the lengthy delay to drive home the Red-Tailed Hawks’ lone run in the fifth frame.

The pillars are there for Discovery Canyon, and Hixson is chief among them as an AllState catcher. She wants to win, so much so that she tested her arm throughout the break to nab would-be base stealers if needed.

Work hasn’t stopped. And the Thunder are reaping the benefits in spite of a slow start.

“It’s easy for me to really read my teammates,” Hixson said. “We all have each other’s back and I’ve gotten so lucky to have them. We’re nothing without our team and I think it’s showing now.”