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Luis Ortiz warms up against Tanque Verde
#1 Valley Lutheran
#2 Tanque Verde
#6 St. David, Superior
#8 Duncan
#3 Gila Bend
#9 Joe City
#4 Valley Union
#10 San Pasqual
#5 Bagdad
#11 Ft. Thomas
#10 FT. THOMAS APACHES #10
2010 Week 5 In Review #10 Ft. Thomas Apaches (7-4) Last Week: #11 #11 Ft. Thomas 6 #8 Duncan 8 Duncan started off down by 6 runs after 3 innings of play. Ft. Thomas was throwing Estevan Mesa who did a great job of shutting them down before the errors took over as Duncan got the game to within 1 run after 5 innings of play. Neither team could get any runs across in the 6th inning making the score 6-5 going into the top of the 7th with the Apaches clinging to a 1 run lead. But with Mesa still in the game Duncan rallied for 3 runs to go up 8-6 and get the come from behind victory over Ft. Thomas . The Apaches had 9 errors in the game which ultimately cost them in the end. Mesa also had 12Ks.
#11 Ft. Thomas 13 Thunderbird 4 The Apaches went on a hitting terror as they defeated Thunderbird Academy after losing a game vs Duncan.
Who’s Hot! Estevan Mesa (2-2 3.00 ERA 48 Ks) Mesa hit grand slams in back-to-back games against PC and CSA. He drove in a combined nine runs in the two games, and also homered the next day. Mesa has four home runs (in 33 at-bats) and 22 RBIs in 11 games. Quinn Hosay, 3 wins, 1.37 ERA, 34ks .320 BA, 14 runs, 5 RBI
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Bowie 4-08 @ Pima 4-09 Clifton DH I have Ft. Thomas moving up to the #10 spot because they have started playing more games and showing they are a team that can get to the playoffs. They lost a big lead vs Duncan and lost 8-6 but showed they are a very talented team. Match-ups: Ft. Thomas will take on Clifton and Bowie in very important East Conference games. They have Pima in the middle but they do have 4 games in as many days so they must not take any team in the East lightly. The Apaches will counter with Estevan Mesa .552 BA, Daniel Boni .286 BA and Quinn Hosay 3-0, 1.37 ERA Questions: This Apaches team is ranked #10 in our rankings for a reason. This team can be good. With Hosay/Mesa on the mound they can beat any team around but the issues are can they hit the top pitching in the state and do they have enough pitching depth to match the other teams as well. Errors cost them in their loss to Duncan so that is a critical issue that must be dealt with before playoff time.
#10 SAN PASQUAL WARRIORS #10
2010 Week 5 In Review #10 San Pasqual (13-4) 6-0 West Last Week: #10
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-8 @ Valley Lutheran DH AZSports 1A Game of the Week 4-10 @ Joy Christian DH
#10 San Pasqual 7 Mayer 2 #10 San Pasqual had little trouble with Mayer, beating the Wildcats 7-2 in the 1st game of the DH. Warriors' pitcher Aaron Lucero picked up the win in the first game, tossing 11 strikeouts and going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI. San Pasqual's Gustavo Lerma, Mookie Sanchez, Tony Hernandez and Paul Wiseman all batted 2-for-3.
#10 San Pasqual 7 Mayer 2 In the 2nd game the Warriors beat Mayer by the same score of 7-2 by finishing off Mayer to up their record to 13-4. Alex Marquez pitched the second game for San Pasqual fanning three. Lerma and Sanchez each were 3-for-4 batting and Jaime Marquez was 2-for-3 with a double.
Who’s Hot! Aaron Lucero, Win and 11Ks and 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI
I have San Pasqual #10 in the polls based on their strong showing so far in the season. They have a tough week as they play #1 Valley Lutheran in a DH and then play Joy Christian in a DH 2 days later both away games. Match-ups: @ vs VL & Joy Christian This is a great game and the downside is it is away for the Warriors. They need to be careful that after playing VL, win or lose they do not have a letdown and lose even 1 game vs JC. The Warriors (13-4 overall, 6-0 1A West) Coach Owl always has his team ready to play and is one of the best 1A coaches in the state. Pitching: VL: Scott Hiller, (1-1, 2.92) Andy Speedling (2-0, 0.78) SanPasqual : Aaron Lucero, Alex Marquez Keys: Hitting: VL is #1 in hitting in 1A with a team .469 BA. They are as dangerous as a team gets 1-9 in the order. SP has got to do more than trying to overpower them. Lucero can get strikeouts but Marquez depends on his defense. I would pitch them away and place my defense accordingly staying away from their power. SP is also a good hitting team with Lucero, Lerma, Sanchez, Jaime and Alex Marquez . They can strike-out a lot so they must limit this by playing some small-ball. VL cannot take this game lightly
Gustavo Lerma, 5 for 7 at the plate Questions: X-Factor: VL @ Home. In the past SP has the capability of beating any team @ home. However, this team is not known for being a good road team especially vs top opponents.
#9 JOSEPH CITY WILDCATS #9
2010 Week 5 In Review #9 Joe City Wildcats (11-1) Last Week: #9
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Mogollon 4-09 @ Mayer DH
#9 Joe City 10 Monument Valley 5 The Wildcats tied up the game at 2 after the the 1st inning that saw MV take a 2-0 lead. However, JC struck for 2 more runs in the 2nd to give them a slight 4-2 lead. In the 3rd MV got one run back while holding JC to no runs and after 3 innings of play JC had the slim 4-3 lead. JC then scored 6 more runs in the 4-6 innings to go up 10-4 going to the top of the 7th. MV could only get one run as the Wildcat pitchers settled down and shut down the bats of MV to get the W. #9 Joe City 7 Monument Valley 5 In the 2nd game of the DH JC struck first as they had a 1-0 lead after 1 but then MV bats got hot as they scored 4 runs in the 2nd to take a 4-2 lead after 2 innings of play. In the 3rd MV got one more run while the Wildcats countered with 3 to make the score 7-5 in favor of Jc after 4 innings of play. JC would hang on to get the win.
Who’s Hot! The entire team of Joe City is loaded with talent and in the early part of the season they are crushing the ball! Tracy Poudrier is getting the job done on the mound.
I have Joe City #9 in the polls based on their easy schedule up to now. As we see them with tougher competition we can better evaluate this team. They are one of the sleeper picks we knew had a chance to get the job done this season. Match-ups: Mogollon & Mayer Mayer is a struggling team but can squeak a victory in especially in a DH. They just lost 2 on the road vs #10 SanPasqual . The real match is between JC and Mogollon. On paper this looks like an easy W for JC but this is a great rivalry and all records can be thrown out in this game. Mogollon will more than likely throw the Junior Lef-hander Luke McCormick who got the loss vs Valley Lutheran. Joe City really needs to beat Mogollon handily in order for us to see they are the real deal. I understand rival games but if they want us to rank them higher than the talent must prevail. Questions: The Wildcats have started off real good out of the starting gates but the big issue for them is the competition or lack during the season. We will see how they handle themselves vs Mogollon near the end of the season.
#8 DUNCAN WILDKATS #8
2010 Week 5 In Review #8 Duncan Wildkats (9-2) Last WeeK: #8
#8 Duncan 8
Ft. Thomas 6
Duncan started off down by 6 runs after 3 innings of play. Ft. Thomas was throwing Estevan Mesa who did a great job of shutting them down before the errors took over as Duncan got the game to within 1 run after 5 innings of play. Neither team could get any runs across in the 6th inning making the score 6-5 going into the top of the 7th with the Apaches clinging to a 1 run lead. But with Mesa still in the game Duncan rallied for 3 runs to go up 8-6 and get the come from behind victory over Ft. Thomas . The Apaches had 9 errors in the game which ultimately cost them in the end. Mesa also had 12Ks.
#8 Duncan 12 Pima 2 The Wildkats once again got great hitting and great pitching to defeat 2A Pima.. Duncan has been on a good winning streak since they last lost to St. David in the Tiger Baseball Tournament and took 2 wins for the week.
Who’s Hot! Rustin Jones, Jordan Saiz and Jerry Contreras have have continued to be HOT during their winning streak.
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Clifton Duncan is at the #8 spot in the rankings but this is clearly my Dark-Horse in 1A ! This team has the talent and tradition to get to the playoffs and make some noise. With a great come from behind victory vs Ft. Thomas they showed they are a dangerous team that can never be counted out. Match-ups: Duncan vs Clifton Duncan will take on Clifton who they beat earlier in the season. Although this can be a rival game the Wildkats should not have an issue and win this game with no problem. Questions: This Duncan team is ranked #8 in our rankings for a reason. This team can be scary good. The only question now is do they have the pitching to stay with the other top teams. They have the hitting as they have shown throughout the season. They did beat a good Superior team earlier in the year and Ft. Thomas last week so the Wildkats are a good darkhorse team. Rustin Jones must take and lead this team.
#6 VALLEY UNION BLUE DEVILS #6
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#6 Valley Union (9-6) 2nd in PPTs Last WeeK: #4
Games This Week: Idle
#4 Valley Union 15 Patagonia 0
VU is a very talented team and I very well thought of keeping them in the top 5 but..I decided to hold off. But no matter the loss vs the Tigers, make no doubt, this team has the entire package to win it all.
Valley Union had no trouble dismantling Patagonia in 1A South action. Jose R. Gamez got the shut-out and was a BB and 1 hit away from being perfect for the evening. The Lobos had 7 errors to help the Blue Devils cause. #5 St. David 8
Valley Union 2
The Tigers took on VU and got down 2 runs in the 1st inning. They fought back with 1 run to make it 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th where they would strike for 3 runs to take a 4-2 lead. Tracey did a great job getting out of some late bases loaded jams to keep the lead going to the bot of the 6th where VU once again had errors that help give the Tigers an 8-2 lead going to the top of the 7th. Tracey was able to get the win in a complete game. #15 Gamez pitched a heck of a game as well as by my card he may have only given up 2-3 hits and not sure if any runs were earned. Tracey and Gamez were named AZSports Players of the Game for their respective teams.
Who’s Hot! Randy Landwerlen .370 BA, 18 RBI, 13 Stolen Bases. Saul Mancinas .488 BA, 25 Runs, 15 RBI, 6 Doubles, 2 triples Jace Luzania .500 BA, 16 runs, 11 RBI, 4 doubles and 1 triple and 15 Stolen Bases. Jose A. Gamez 4-1, 0.21 ERA, .611 BA, 12 RBI Jose R. Gamez .500 BA, 13 RBI
Questions: This Valley Union team is ranked # 6 in our rankings but this team was very impressive in their loss to the Tigers. I know this sounds strange but they have hitting, speed and for right now the top pitcher in Jose A. Gamez which says a lot. I saw great velocity but his fast ball has tons of movement and his change of pace pitches are tough to handle. St. David won the game but they struggled to hit Gamez and got most runs from the errors which mainly came from the passed ball and wild pitches. This says a lot because St. David can flat out hit the ball. The big issue for them is at catcher. It is not that they do not have a really good catcher because they do. But the stuff that A. Gamez brings is some nasty stuff and the young catchers are struggling to hang on to his pitches when they move so much. So if this gets handled watch-out!
#6 SUPERIOR PANTHERS #6
2010 Week 5 In Review #6 Superior Panthers (12-8) Last Week: #6
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Gilbert Christian 4-08 Thunderbird Academy DH
#6 Superior 14 Salt River 1 5inn Superior exploded for 10 runs in the first 2 innings in their game vs SR and cruised to an easy East Conference game. Manuel Ortega showed why he is one of the top pitchers in 1A going the distance and not giving up any earned runs.
I have Superior all the way back up to #6 even though they lost to Duncan. I believe with Ortega they beat Duncan in a rematch. I also feel that with Ortega and Granillo the Panthers have one of the better 1-2 combinations in the 1A classification. Granillo is turning out to be the top #2 pitcher in the state.
#6 Superior 16 Bowie 0 Match-ups: The Panthers broke open a 0-0 tie after the 1st inning by jumping out to a 15-0 lead after 3 innings of baseball. Superior had 11 hits total for the game as Chris Grap went the distance and got the W for his team. He also had 8Ks while only giving up 2 hits on the day. #6 Superior 22 Bowie 1 The Panthers Martin Granillo had 12ks and no earned runs as he went the distance to help his team defeat Bowie in the 2nd game of the DH. The game started out close as Bowie was down 7-1 after 3 inning but the Panthers went on a tear by getting 15 runs in the last 2 innings to take any hope away from a Bowie upset.
Who’s Hot! Chris Grap, .400 BA, 26 runs, 30 hits, 16 RBI, 2 doubles and 6 triples, 8 SB, 3 Wins 3.42 ERA, 21Ks Martin Granillo, .315 BA, 25 runs, 11RBI, (4-3) 1.71 ERA, 45Ks Manuel Ortega, (3-2) 1.97 ERA, 31Ks
There should be no reason the Panthers lose any of the 3 games this week. Gilbert Christian is good enough to sneak one from the Panthers if they take them lightly so Coach Duarte will have his team ready. Pitching Ortega or Granillo should get the job done and using the other for the DH and use either Grap or Fox to close out the last game vs Thunderbird Academy . Notes: Superior could be 1 of the hottest teams playing right now. Although their team BA is lower than the other top ranked teams, the Panthers get a great combination of hitting to get runs across and sometimes that is more important than a higher average where you score less runs.
#4 BAGDAD HIGH SCHOOL SULTANS #4
2010 Week 5 In Review #4 Bagdad (7-4-1) Last Week: #5 #4 Bagdad did not play in Week 4 and were able to jump up to the #4 spot after dropping to #5 after the SR Tournament.
Who’s Hot! Don Romero continued to stay hot at the plate by raising his average to .533 for the season with 9 Stolen Bases . He was instrumental in his teams comeback vs Phoenix Christian at the Salt River Tournament . Zach Loveall skipped the SR Tourney . For the season he is batting .500 and is 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA.
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-09 @ Salome DH 4-10 Williams DH The Sultans have Salome and Williams . this week. Salome should be an easy game on paper but Williams should be a good challenge. Match-ups: The Sultans will have Zach Loveall available for this game since he did not pitch at the Salt River Tournament . The games will not be easy for Bagdad as the Williams team is not a bad baseball team. Loveall is the big leader on this team and will need to use his arm, bat and legs to lead his team over Willaims . Romero also has been taking a lot of the slack from Loveall as well. Williams has a hefty ERA but can hit the ball with Granthem .435 and Pettit .385 leading the hitting attack. Questions: This Bagdad team is ranked #4 in our rankings for a reason and although they are not a one man show the Salt River Tourney showed they are a different team without Zach Loveall. They are a top 5 team but must show they have more depth at pitching- 4.08 Team ERA and must continue to cut down on the errors, (20), something that has plagued them since last year.
#4 ST. DAVID TIGERS #4
2010 Week 5 In Review #4 St. David Tigers (13-3) 3rd PPTs Last Week: #6
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Patagonia 4-08 @ Green Fields
#5 St. David 15 St. Gregs 5 6inn St. David started off slow against St. Gregs Rickel before taking a 9-4 lead into the 6th inning before they exploded for 6 runs once Rickel was out of the game to take the easy victory. St. Gregs had 8 errors that helped lead to their demise against the strong hitting Tiger team.
#5 St. David 14
St. Augustine 4
The Tigers have moved up to Tie for the #4 spot in our rankings. They are now 1-1 vs the top South teams with a huge rematch coming at Home vs Tanque Verde next week. If they want to have a chance at the #1 spot going into the DH vs Gila Bend the last games of the season they really need to win this week and beat Tanque Verde the following week. The key right now is the fact that the South is still using PPTs and even though they defeated VU they still are behind VU in the PPTs as they currently sit at the 3rd spot behind VU and TV.
The Tigers beat the Wolves in a 10 run affair which was their 2nd win of the week Match-ups: Patagonia & Green Fields heading into the rival game vs VU. #5 St. David 8
Valley Union 2
The Tigers took VU and got down 2 runs in the 1st inning. They fought back with 1 run to make it 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th where they would strike for 3 runs to take a 4-2 lead. Tracey did a great job getting out of some late bases loaded jams to keep the lead going to the bot of the 6th where VU once again had errors that help give the Tigers an 8-2 lead going to the top of the 7th. Tracey was able to get the win in a complete game. #15 Gamez pitched a heck of a game as well as by my card he may have only given up 2-3 hits and not sure if any runs were earned. Tracey and Gamez were named AZSports Players of the Game for their respective teams.
Who’s Hot! Jordan Tracey has went 4 complete games to go to 3-1 on the season.
St. David can really use this week to give Tracey some much needed rest on the mound. In the game vs VU he had more velocity but still not as good when I first saw him pitch. He can get some nice easy innings and allow his arm to stay nice and fresh for the 2nd half of the season and especially vs TV next week. The GB DH looms large because they will only have Tracey available for 1 game while facing a strong bunch of arms from GB in which may very well keep them in a 1-2 seed or a 3-4 seed .
#3 GILA BEND GILA MONSTERS #3
2010 Week 5 In Review #3 Gila Bend (13-2) 4th South PPT Last Week: #3
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Green Fields 4-09 St. Augustine DH
#3 Gila Bend 14, 14 Ajo 1, 0 The Gila Monsters had an easy week as they swept a double-header from Ajo. GB took an early 9-1 lead vs the Red Raiders in the 1st 2 innings and never looked back. With a nice game they were able to pitch Anthony Young for 2 innings to give him some much needed work and to see how his arm is doing. In the 2nd game Ajo had no chance as GB jumped out with 9 runs in the 1st inning and never looked back as they got tremendous pitching from Luis Ortiz, George Young and Fred Burkhardt .
Who’s Hot! George Young,(3-13.82 ERA) He is also hitting .528 on the year. Anthony Young is hitting .559, 26 RBIs, 8 Doubles, 2 Triple and 2 HRs on the season. He also has an amazing .685 OBP and a 1.088 SLG percentage on the season! Luis Ortiz (4-1 2.59 ERA) hitting .500 15 Stolen bases, 32 Runs, 22 hits, 9 RBI, 6 Doubles, and 3 triples! Tyler Mills is hitting .442, 12 RBIs, 4 Doubles, 2 Triple and 1 HR on the season. Fred Burkhardt is hitting .500, 21 RBIs, 2 Doubles, 2 Triple and 3 HRs on the season.
Gila Bend is no doubt our #3 team in 1A but they have their backs against the wall right now when it comes to the South PPTs as they sit in 4th place. They cannot lose another game if they have any hopes of getting the #1 or #2 spot heading into the playoffs. Match-ups: The Gila Monsters face a very dangerous St. Augustine team in a DH at Home. This is the same team who beat them last year in a DH away by splitting 1 of 2 that hurt GB in the conference race. There is no doubt that Coach Young will have them primed and ready to draw first blood and send a message to the Wolves that last year was just a fluke. GB knows they must contend with a team who is as Jekyl and Hyde as they come. With Gonzales on the mound they can beat any team in the South but without him they struggle. So GB will need to jump out quickly and not allow the Wolves to stay close and confidence as they are a team struggling to find their way at the halfway mark in the season. Questions: Can the Gila Monsters go undefeated until they play St. David to end the season?
#2 TANQUE VERDE HAWKS #2
2010 Week 5 In Review #2 Tanque Verde (15-2) 1st in PPTs Last Week: #2
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Ajo 4-08 @ Patagonia
#2 Tanque Verde 12 Tombstone 10 This Hawks hang on to the #2 spot. #2 Tanque Verde fell behind in the game vs Tombstone and were trailing by 2 into the fourth before rallying for 4 runs in the last 3 innings to win the game by 2. The Hawks were able to get 6 earned runs, 5 hits, and 3 walks off the Yellow Jackets starter Garrett Devere thru the first 2 innings of the game before he gave way to Cruz Mora who pitched 3 innings while giving up a 2-run homer and a walk with 4 K's on the day. Pitching and defense was a huge problem for #2 TV as they walked 11 hitters in the game and 4 errors to help the Jackets stay in the game. In a huge game for power-points , TV was forced to bring in Harris for the last 3 innings in order to shut down Tombstone and give his team a chance to win the game as they were behind 10-8 heading into the 4th.
Who’s Hot! Mark Harris, (6-0 1 SV) 1.22 ERA gets the win and gives up no runs. Ryan South, stays on fire as he is hitting .574, 20 RBIs, and 27 hits on the season. For a #2 hitter in the line-up his .627 OBP and .702 SLG is impressive. Oh yeah did we also mention he leads the entire 1A Division with 19/19 in stolen bases! Luke Herschenroeder , 2-4, 3RBI vs Tombstone, .519 BA with 5 doubles.
Match-ups: The Hawks have the CALM before the STORM in Week 5 of the season with relatively easy games on paper. We all know that you cannot be overconfident but under Lawwill his teams beat those they need to beat and I see no reason to think that will change. Questions: Tanque Verde ranked #2 in our rankings need to use this week to get a good outing out of whoever is going to be their #2 pitcher. Next week they face St. David, San Miguel and Valley Union . Between the Tigers and Blue Devils game they will only have Harris on 2 days rest so I imagine he can only be used in relief if needed vs VU based on how his start vs St. David and Tracey turns out. This means the leading candidate for the 2 spot is Novak who has a 1.40 ERA with 3 wins and a save. Even if the games are spread out during the regular season they need a solid 32 to get past RD 2 at state. If they get the 1 seed from the South they could use a #2 and save Harris for RD 2. But...if they drop to the 3rd or 4th spot they will have no choice but to throw Harris in RD 1.
#1 VALLEY LUTHERAN FLAMES #1
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#1 Valley Lutheran (8-1) Last Week: #1
Games This Week: 4-06 Orme, 4-08 #10 San Pasqual DH
#1 Valley Lutheran 17 Mogollon 2
The FLAMES are at the #1 in our rankings with a total domination of Mogollon .
Seniors Will Schwartz and Andy Speedling both homered . Schwartz ended the day 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs. Luke Wolkos (Sr.) pitched 4 strong innings to get the win, striking out 7 . Valley scored 6 runs in both the 1st and 5th innings to put the game away. Junior left hander Luke McCormick suffered the loss for Mogollon .
Match-ups: vs Orme and San Pasqual Valley Lutheran should not have any problem with Orme so lets get to their big DH vs the Warriors (13-4 overall, 6-0 1A West) this week. VL cannot take this game lightly because Coach Owl always has his team ready to play and is one of the best 1A coaches in the state. Pitching Probables:
Highlights: By sundevils2006 VL: Scott Hiller, (1-1, 2.92) Andy Speedling (2-0, 0.78)
Who’s Hot! Luke Wolkos, pitched 4 strong innings to get the win, striking out 7 .
Andy Speedling , .567 BA, 11 runs, 15 RBI, vs Mogollon he homered and was 3-4 with 3 RBI. He also came in in relief and pitched a scoreless inning.
Will Schwartz, ended the day 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs and a HRun vs Mogollon. He now leads his team with a 1.105 Slugging %! Video: Watch the Schwartz HR on the front page of our website on the HOT SPOT section of our site @ www.azsportsnetwork.com
SanPasqual : Aaron Lucero, Alex Marquez X-Factor: VL @ Home. In the past SP has the capability of beating any team @ home. However, this team is not known for being a good road team especially vs top opponents. Keys: Hitting: VL is #1 in hitting in 1A with a team .469 BA. They are as dangerous as a team gets 1-9 in the order. SP has got to do more than trying to overpower them. Lucero can get strikeouts but Marquez depends on his defense. I would pitch them away and place my defense accordingly staying away from their power. SP is also a good hitting team with Lucero, Lerma, Sanchez, Jaime and Alex Marquez . They can strike-out a lot so they must limit this by playing some small-ball. VL cannot take this game lightly
Mike Skiles of Tombstone holds the runner at 1st.
#1 PRCA #2 SCA
#3 Yuma Catholic
#6 Northwest Christian #11 Thatcher
#7 Bisbee
#12 Willcox
#4 Valley Christian
#8 Morenci
#13 Camp Verde
#9 Bourgade
#14 San Manuel
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#5 St. Johns #10 Hayden #15 Miami
#10 HAYDEN LOBOS #10
2010 Week 5 In Review #10 Hayden Lobos 9-3 Last Week: #12 Hayden made the entire 2A Classification take notice with a great win over #4 Florence by the score of 5-4. #12 Hayden 5 San Carlos 4 Hayden scored 4 runs 1st 4 innings to take the lead against a much improved Braves team. San Carlos then got 1 run in the 5th and 3 in the 7th to tie up the game at 4. Hayden was able to get 1 run to secure the win. #12 Hayden 5 Florence 4 8 innings #12 Hayden vs #4 Florence was meant to be a great game of mass proportions based on who was pitching. For Hayden you had Formo who is one of the best pitchers in 1-3A! For Florence you had the young Touhey, our AZSports Freshman Player of the Year-All-State who is one of the YOUNG GUNS of baseball who can just PLAY BALL. Both teams got 2 runs in the 1st inning. In the 3rd Hayden took the lead with Florence making it all even at 3 after 5 innings of play. The game then went into extra inning where the Gophers took the lead going into the bottom of the 8th but an error cost the Gophers the lead and the game. Touhey 5 hits 14 k's 3 walks (1 intentional) 1 ER, 3-4 at plate, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2 doubles!
Who’s Hot! Formo, 7 ks in 8 innings allowing 8 hits walking 2 and 1 HBP.
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ San Carlos 4-08 #1 PRCA Hayden has continued to prove that small in numbers, a coaching change and many departures from their team has not caused them to lose a step. With Formo they can beat any team in 1-3A. Match-ups: SC and #1 PRCA Formo vs Vaughn would be what we would like to see but PRCA Coach Frithsen has a huge decision to make because Formo is one of the best pitchers in 2A and when he is on the mound they are a very good team. There is no doubt he will be on the mound vs PRCA. Add to it the game is at Hayden and this could end up being the 1st loss of the season for PRCA no matter who they pitch. The key is does Coach Frithsen think he has the pitching to win those other 2 games against decent teams and throw all of his bags into Vaughn only being used for the Hayden game. If they throw Vaughn then PRCA has to try and force Formo off of the mound so you mess with his timing. PRCA has speed and they must test the catcher from the Lobos. Hayden is coming off of a great 5-4 win over 3A #4 Florence so they have shown with Formo on the mound they can play with the best. Top hitters for Hayden include Cabrera, Manriquez , Menno, Formo and Garcia.
#10 Thatcher Eagles #10
2010 Week 5 In Review #10 Thatcher 5-5 Last Week: #7
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Tombstone 4-08 Benson
#7 Thatcher 1 #5 Safford 10 The Eagles could only get 4 hits off of Safford as they went on to lose 10-1. Safford junior starter Greg Ornelas pitched six innings, allowed zero earned runs and struck out eight. He surrendered just four hits and one walk. The Eagles were only down by 3 heading into the 5th inning but then Safford scored 7 runs to put the game away. Thatcher had 4 errors and Derek Aaron took the loss for the Eagles. Jake Skinner, a junior, drove in Thatcher’s only run in the fifth inning.
The Eagles dropped even though they lost to a very good Safford team. The loss to Willcox was why they dropped. Match-ups: Tombstone and Benson The Eagles have 2 very important games this week against Tombstone and Benson. Both of these 2 teams are very dangerous as you never know which team is going to show up. Both struggle at times and then turn around and play some LIGHTS-OUT great baseball. Thatcher has to be ready to play their best and show they belong in the top 10. Questions:
#7 Thatcher 6
#10 Willcox 7
Thatcher took another loss at the hands of the Willcox Cowboys. Jake Skinner got the loss from the mound as he went the distance but only 4 of the runs were earned as 3 errors did in the Eagles. Thatcher got off to a good start with 3 runs after 2 innings of play however that would be short-lived as the Cowboys struck for 7 runs in the 3rd inning to take a 7-4 lead. The Eagles were able to get 2 more runs back but that was not enough.
Who’s Hot! Brandon Cooke, .533 BA, 6 runs Koby Alva, .500 , 10 runs, 16 RBI 4 doubles, 1 triple and 1 HR Jake Skinner, 2-1, 1.96 ERA, 24 Ks Derek Aaron, 1-1, 1.50 ERA,
This Thatcher has potential to be a very good team but they are still young. This alone can allow for concerns especially on defense. The real question is their pitching. They have shown good signs of having a decent staff but then errors get in the way. So the key for Thatcher is to cut down on errors and time will tell how good the pitching really is this year.
#9 BOURGADE CATHOLIC GOLDEN EAGLES #9
2010 Week 5 In Review #9 Bourgade Catholic 10-6 Last Week: #9
Bourgade has been idle since losing their last game to Horizon Honors.
Who’s Hot! Eric Martinez, .500 BA, 11 runs, 15 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, .955 SLG, 2.33 ERA,
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Antelope 4-07 @ WWP 4-09 @ Phoenix Christian This is a week to show us the loss to HH was a fluke of the year. We know they will be moving on up the rankings but for now they get to sit and redeem themselves for the loss to Horizons. Match-ups: Antelope, WWP and PC The Golden Eagles will have a lot of pain for these 3 teams this week! On paper the games should not be close and we predict that we will see some massive scores as BC gets back to baseball with a BAD ATTITUDE because of their loss to HH. Questions: This BC team has all of the tools to be a state championship team but right now there seems to be something happening we may not know about. WE knew they had Martinez as their ace so it came down to a #2 pitcher on the staff stepping up. The hitting also should be some of the best in 2A. So how come a team loses to a HH? Well we know they faced a decent pitcher. But for a team that has hopes to win it all you take care of business!
# 8 MORENCI WILDCATS #8
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#8 Morenci Wildcats 9-2 Last Week: #10
Games This Week: 4-06 @ #7 Bisbee 4-09 @ #10 Willcox
#10 Morenci 1 #10 Willcox 0
Morenci is a nice Dark-Horse who will cause some team a problem in the playoffs. They keep winning and have earned a week at the #8 spot.
Morenci got a nice win vs the Cowboys. The Wildcats continue to impress and move up the rankings.
Match-ups: Bisbee and Willcox #10 Morenci 16 Pima 6 Morenci handed Pima another baseball loss as they collected 16 runs to run rule Pima.
Who’s Hot! Mark Martinez, .500 BA Jerry Hamilton Damian Abril Clay Ruedas
The Wildcats will have a real test this week to see if they belong in the top 10 in the state. Bisbee: They will see Mendez, one of the top pitchers in 2A. This allows Morenci to also throw their best as well so we should see one heck of a match between these 2 teams at Warren Ballpark. Bisbee has speed and Morenci needs to be ready to take care of the base-paths from behind the plate. Willcox: Rematch in just a week where Morenci took a 1-0 victory in a nice pitchers game. Morenci will have to decide who to go with in this game. I predict we may see a hitters game this time around!! Questions: This Morenci team just keeps surprising us. They have shown they have the pitching and hitting to stay with any team but can they be consistent enough when they start facing the ACES of the other top teams the 2nd time around? That is what will show how good this Wildcat team really is and if they are here to stay.
#7 BISBEE PUMAS #7
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#7 Bisbee Pumas 10-4 Last Week: 8
Games This Week: 4-06 #8 Morenci 4-08 Desert Christian 4-09 Pima
#8 Bisbee 11 Tombstone 3
Although Bisbee lost to Thatcher, I have moved them up to #7 because besides this little bump in the road I really believe they are still a top 5 team if all cylinders are clicking.
Bisbee struggled with Tombstone early in the game before the errors caught up with the Yellow Jackets late in the game.
Match-ups: Morenci, DC and Pima Here is an article to read on the game:
http://www.svherald.com /content/sports /2010/03/30/2a-roundup-pumas-put-aw ay-pesky-jackets-11-3
Who’s Hot! Anthony Rivera, .500 BA, 13 runs, 13 RBI, 4 doubles, 2 triples, .767 SLG Sergio Rivera, .444, 15 RBIs, 6 runs, Diego Mendez, 3-1, 2.43 ERA, 29Ks Robbie Abril, 3 wins, 2.50 ERA, 12Ks Kenny Reinhartz, 2 wins 1 save, 0.72 ERA
The easy game is Pima on paper. Otherwise the Pumas have 2 really hard games vs DC and Morenci. Morenci is a dangerous team and has been in our top 10 all season long and just beat Willcox 1-0. DC is another team that has the potential to beat the Pumas if the Pumas are not on their game. Bisbee must pitch Mendez vs Morenci and then have Abril, if healthy vs DC. DC has a game vs PRCA so Bisbee should not see their ace. #8 Morenci on the other hand will throw their top pitcher against the Pumas as this is a very important game for them. With Willcox later in the week they can afford to do this for the Bisbee game. Questions: This Puma team is very fast and very good. The Pumas are not a power team so they have to rely on speed and timely hitting to get wins this season. The inexperience is their main issue to contend with this season.
#6 NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS #6
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#5 NWC 5 Estrella Foothills 2
Games This Week: 4-06 @ ALA 4-08 @ Ft. Hills 4-09 PCDS
Patrick Cody went the distance to get the win vs EFH tallying 8ks. NWC cranked out 10 hits with runs in the 3-4-5-6 innings taking advantage of 5 erros from the Wolves.
The Crusaders are a team that can be in the top 5 and a state contender. The loss to Camp Verde dropped them to the #6 spot for this week with a tough schedule for Week 6.
#5 NWC 12 NPP 2 6innings
Match-ups: ALA, Ft. Hills, PCDS
NWC scored 3 runs in the 1st and then exploded for 7 more runs to take away any hope that NPP had of an upset. Connor bays went 4 innings, 5ks, giving up 2 runs to get the victory. Alan Garcia hit a 2run shot for NPP.
This week it all comes down to who they face on the mound. ALA may not have their ace available and Ft. Hills just came off of a big tournament so you never know who they will pitch plus the fact they have 2 games before NWC. NWC could steal a win vs FT. Hills because of a lot of games this week. PCDS has a very good ace but will they throw them vs FT. Hills or NWC. All teams have many games this week so it will all be about the coaches decisions on the pitchers. NWC can get at the least 2 of 3 this week or maybe 3.
#6 Northwest Christian 12-6 Last Week: #5
#5 NWC 5 #14 Camp Verde 6 NWC jumped out to an early 4-1 lead but could not hold off the Cowboys as they were able to score 3 runs in the 7th inning to steal the win from NWC. The Crusaders could only muster 6 hits but also had 4 errors on the day that allowed the Cowboys to get the win. Orbi Gonzales only gave up 1 earned run in 6 innings of play but the defense failed Cody who came in relief and with 3 errors from his defense and only 1 hit NWC saw their lead and win disappear.
Who’s Hot! Connor Bays, .407 BA, 8 runs, 15 RBI, 2HR, 4 Wins 0.74 ERA Mark Hernandez, .395 BA, 10 runs, 22 RBI, 5 Doubles Dylan Schantz, .353 BA, 18 runs, 16 RBI, 5 doubles, 2 HR
Questions: This NWC team is ranked #6 in our rankings for a reason. But they need to take care of the errors or their chance for a championship will be over.
#5 ST. JOHNS REDSKINS #5
2010 Week 5 In Review #5 St. Johns 9-5 Last WeeK: #6 #6 St. Johns 5 Chinle 2
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Blue Ridge 4-07 Snowflake 4-09 Alchesay
St. Johns got a great outing from KJ Mineer as he pitched a 5 inning complete game with 9ks to get the win by only allowing 2 earned runs on the afternoon. St. Johns also had 11 hits.
St. Johns has gradually made their way to our top 5. The Redskins have nice pitching and with Cade Ashton, one of the best all-around players in 2A.
#6 St. Johns 13 Alchesay 0
St. Johns is playing a very good East schedule that will help them come playoff time. They have BR so we may see Mineer throw against BR who just used a lot of pitching in the EFH Tournament. This may be a time for St. Johns to take one from the Yellow Jackets.
St. Johns got a great outing from KJ Mineer as he pitched a 5 inning complete game to get the win by allowing 0 runs on the afternoon. St. Johns also had 14 hits. #6 St. Johns 17 Valley 1 St. Johns exploded for 17 runs to take an easy victory over valley in North 2A baseball action. #6 St. Johns 7 Round Valley 1 St. Johns wen to rival RV and came away with a much needed game to move them up in the 2A PPTs.
Who’s Hot! Cade Ashton, .528 BA, 15 Runs, 19 hits, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR, 1.000 SLG Steve Lindsey .474, 13 runs, KJ Mineer, 4-1, 1.45 ERA, .395 BA Tim Hoyt, 2-1, 1.40 ERA, 400 BA Garrett Anderson, .353 BA, 15 runs
Match-ups: BR, SF, Alchesay
The next day they have Snowflake who is also a very good East 3A team. Even if they lose these 2 games they are playing great competition which will give them an edge come playoff time. Questions: This St. Johns team is ranked #5 and they are one of my Dark-Horses this year in 2A. My concern is how many innings Mineer is pitching right now at the half-way mark.
#4 VALLEY CHRISTIAN TROJANS #4
2010 Week 4 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#4 Valley Christian 9-8 Last Week #3
Games This Week: 4-06 @ Tempe Prep 4-08 SCA
#3 VC 4 #14 Wickenburg 0:
This Trojans have had their team depleted by injuries and the transfer of Morgan. The VC team is still in the top 5 for now but must show they belong and can continue to play ball with the big boys.
Valley Christian scored 1 run in the 1st and 3 runs in the 5th to take the 4-0 W vs the Wranglers in a 2A vs 3A game. Will Lane got the complete game shut-out W for the Trojans as he had 7Ks and only 1 walk to help keep the potent Wrangler bats off balance. Patrick Sullivan collected 2 of his teams hits, including 2 RBI. #4 SCA 7 #3 Valley Christian 0 With SCA ACE Jared Gaynor on the mound, VC was not able to get anything going with the bats as Gaynor had 20 Strike-Outs on the day as VC had no chance of ever being in this game. SCA Gaynor limited VC to one hit for the day as the lefty allowed his team to get 7 runs on the afternoon while facing only 26 with 20 of them being Ks!!!.
Who’s Hot! Garrison Leach, .469 BA, 15 runs, 13 RBI, 3 doubles, 3 triples Dom Laws, .394 BA , 19 RBI, 3 HR Patrick Sullivan, .447 BA , 10 RBI, Will Lane, 3-2, 2.45 ERA, 19Ks Josh Sloan, 3-0, 2.23 ERA, 17Ks
Match-ups: WWP & SCA The Trojans will not have an issue with WWP. The real game is vs SCA who totally dominated them with Gaynor on the mound. More than likely they will see him again. But no matter who they face they need to get good pitching from Sloan or Lane and somehow come up with more ways to get to Gaynor. There is no way you can allow Gaynor to dominate a game with strike-outs like he did last game. Questions: This VC team is ranked #4 in our rankings for a reason but they are hanging on a thread with all of the players they have lost to due to injuries and now the departure of Morgan. They need to look at what makes them successful and not play the same ole straight up type of game they are use to and do some other things to get to pitchers like Gaynor.
#3 YUMA CATHOLIC SHAMROCKS #3
2010 Week 5 In Review #3 Yuma Catholic 10-4 Last Week: #2
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Tonopah 4-09 @ Horizon Honors
#7 River Valley 13 #2 YC 9 The Shamrocks lost for the 2nd time in 2 weeks to River Valley in another hitting slugfest. RV Matt Renfro doubled twice, singled, scored three runs, knocked in one in four at-bats and pitched four innings to pick up the win. His teammate Josh Advocate also contributed going 4 for 6, scoring twice and knocked in one run. He also pitched 3 innings to pick up the save. Add in Tanner Maras recorded three hits and Cody Taylor added two more to add to a very good hitting attack for River Valley. San Luis 9
#2 Yuma Catholic 0
San Luis starting pitcher Edgar Valencia struck out nine and allowed just one hit to get the victory over the Shamrocks. Koppinger went 5-1/3, nine hits and nine runs, although just two were earned for Yuma Catholic. Go to yumasun link to read article: http://varsity.yumasun.com /sports/valen cia-2840-inning- first.html
The Shamrocks are on a 3 game losing streak but it has been to some decent competition. RV has proven they have a good team. YC is still a very good top 5 team. Match-ups: Tonopah & Horizon Tonopah is 10-3 and can hit the ball .431 Team BA. The real question is can they out-hit the Shamrocks because Tonopah struggles on the mound with an ERA near 7.00 ! YC should win but they cannot take the Phoenix lightly. Horizon on the other hand seems like a team that should not have a chance vs YC in any area but with their ace Sean Broderick 2-1 3.13 ERA on the mound this team is not the team that posts a 3-6 record but the team that beat BC 7-2. If he pitches well HH can get the upset win. Questions: This Yuma Catholic team is ranked #3 in our rankings for a reason. They are a good hitting and running team. The pitching is very good but the defense must continue to improve as the errors have been costing them as of late. The pitching also has been sub-par as they have been giving up a ton of runs but those can be attributed to the errors as well. Coach Foppe is a good coach who has his team playing good ball and this year they will have something to say about who wins the state championship.
#2 Scottsdale Christian Academy Eagles #2
2010 Week 5 In Review #2 Scottsdale Christian 9-4 Last Week: #4
#4 SCA
7
#3 VC 0
With SCA ACE Jared Gaynor on the mound, VC was not able to get anything going with the bats as Gaynor had 20 Strike-Outs on the day as VC had no chance of ever being in this game. SCA Gaynor limited VC to one hit for the day as the lefty allowed his team to get 7 runs on the afternoon while facing only 26 with 20 of them being Ks!!!. #4 SCA
8
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-05 ALA 4-08 @ VC 4-09 @ Tempe Prep 4-10 @ Parker SCA has moved up to the #2 spot for a good reason and his name is Gaynor who is one of the best, if not the best pitcher in all of 2A. Match-ups: 4 games in a week! The Eagles will have to make sure they do not take any team lightly as pitching will be a premium. The parker game could actually be a loss if not careful.
NPP 5
SCA went up 2-1 in the 1st but then errors and timely hitting by NPP saw the Eagles fighting from behind 4-2 after 3 innings of play. SCA finally got 2 more runs in the 4th to tie the game. It was the 5th that got them over the hump as the pout-scored NPP 5-1 to get the 8-5 win on the day. They only had 7 hits but that was enough to finish off NPP. Gaynor and Gangsei had HR for SCA.
Who’s Hot! Jared Gaynor, the ace of the SCA Staff, 3-1 1 save 1.00 ERA and 53Ks including 20 vs VC. .385 BA, 7 runs, 11RBI, 2 HR
Andrew Frame .471 BA, Wil Renard, .447 BA, 9 runs, 14 RBI, 7 Doubles, 1 HR Logan Gangsei, .371 BA, 9 runs, 14 RBI, 3 HR
The real game is vs VC they totally dominated with Gaynor on the mound. More than likely they will pitch him again. They will face either Sloan or Lane. Somehow come VC must come up with more ways to get to Gaynor. There is no way you can allow Gaynor to dominate a game with strike-outs like he did last game. Questions: This SCA team is ranked #2 in our rankings for a reason. They are tough with Gaynor on the mound but the real X-factor is who is their true #2 and can they cut out the errors especially when Ganor is not on the mound.
#1 PUSCH RIDGE CHRISTIAN LIONS #1
2010 Week 5 In Review #1 PRCA 9-0 Last Week: #1 PRCA 30 San Miguel 0 The Lions pounded out 30 runs against San Miguel HS to improve their record to 9-0 for the season.
Who’s Hot! Right now Vaughn, the ace for this team has not lost a game and has started off from where he ended last season which is very HOT. The PRCA success will come down to his arm and how he can stay healthy this season.
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Desert Christian 4-08 @ Hayden 4-10 @ Ray This is what we say is a brutal schedule and we will see what the Lions are made of after this week. What will be tested is their pitching as they will more than likely face the aces from each team. Match-ups: DC, Hayden and Ray
WOW!! is all I can say. Here is what we know: They will face the ace of DC and Hayden which includes Formo, plus Ray as well. They are almost FORCED to use Vaughn vs DC because with only 2 days rest The players leading this team right now in between they would not be able to throw him more than 1X if they pitch him vs that are crucial to their success are: Formo. Thus if they pitch him vs DC they can bring him back for the game vs Ray with 4 M. Harrigan, A. Erceg, A. Vaughn, days rest. Tough decision. O. Bertelsen #1 PRCA vs #10 Hayden: Formo vs Vaughn would be what we would like to see but PRCA Coach Frithsen has a This will not be an easy game for the Lions. They must throw Vaughn if they huge decision to make because Formo is one of the best pitchers in 2A and when he is on hope to use him 2X during this week. They can take a chance and use him for the mound they are a very good team. There is no doubt he will be on the mound vs PRCA. the Hayden/Formo game but then they take a chance on having their ace Add to it the game is at Hayden and this could end up being the 1st loss of the season available for only 1 game which to me for PRCA no matter who they pitch. The key is does not make sense. DC will bring a decent hitting team to town, .361 BA, does Coach Frithsen think he has the pitching to win those other 2 games against decent with Trevor Beck .500, Ben Royce teams and throw all of his bags into Vaughn .500, Joe Beck .455, Daniel Bays only being used for the Hayden game. If they .400, and Zach Syers .389. The DC throw Vaughn then PRCA has to try and force team is young but have talent. Joe Beck or Trevor Beck will get the call. Formo off of the mound so you mess with his PRCA has the speed to put pressure on timing. PRCA has speed and they must test the catcher from the Lobos. DC but not sure if they can afford NOT TO pitch Vaughn in this game. if he Hayden is coming off of a great 5-4 win over does not pitch Bertelsen will get the 3A #4 Florence so they have shown with call on the mound. Formo on the mound they can play with the best. Top hitters for Hayden include Cabrera, Manriquez , Menno, Formo and Garcia. Week 5 Match-Ups #1 PRCA vs DC:
Ryan Schmidt of Empire waits for the pitch;
#1 Chino Valley #6 Snowflake
#2 Fountain Hills
#7 River Valley
#11 Holbrook #12 Santa Cruz
#3 Blue Ridge
#8 Winslow #13 Globe
#4 Florence
#9 Empire #14 Payson
#5 Safford
#10 Estrella Foothills #15 Wickenburg
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#10 ESTRELLA FOOTHILLS WOLVES #10
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#10 Estrella 11-7 Last Week: #15
Games This Week: 4-05 Buckeye 4-06 South Pointe 4-09 Chino Valley
#15 EFH 2 NWC 5
This EFH team has got people in the 3A Division to stand up and take notice with their great showing at their Wolves Classic Tournament last week. They now jump up to the top 10 for this week.
Wolves Classic Baseball Results:
#15 EFH 11
#15 EFH 10
#15 EFH 4
#10 Holbrook 5
Show Low 0
Globe 11
#15 EFH 12
#2 Florence 3
#15 EFH 16
#2 FT. Hills 6
Who’s Hot! Ryan Erazo, .455 BA, 15 runs, 11 RBI, Jacob Teragouchi , .452 BA, 15 runs, 10 RBI, Tyler Howard, .407 BA, 14 runs, 22 RBI, 7 Doubles, 1 HR Ryan Leroy, .341 BA, 18 runs, 19 RBI, 4 HR
Match-ups: The Wolves have 2 crucial 3A games this week, especially the Chino game. Now that the Wolves have had a good run they will now see if they are ready to be contenders as they will surely see the ace pitchers the rest of the way which will make a huge difference since at the Wolves Classic they were not facing aces all of the time. Questions: This Tanque Verde team is ranked #10 in our rankings for a reason. They are now making noise but we still feel they must prove they can face and beat the top pitchers/aces from 3A teams.
Photo by Anthony Alfonso
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#9 Empire Ravens 7-11 Last Week: #10
Games This Week: 4-05 San Miguel 4-06 @ Santa Cruz 4-09 @ Safford
#10 Empire Ravens 11 Benson 4
This #9 Empire team is much better than their record. If they move up enough in the PPTs they will be a dangerous lower seed for any top sed to play. They can hit the ball and have decent pitching.
Silas Stewart pitched 6 innings to get the victory over Benson. Bobby Williams went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI as the Ravens jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back.
#10 Empire Ravens 9 San Manuel 3 Josh Elder gave up 7 hits for the complete game win vs San Manuel. he also tallied 8Ks and at the plate scored 1 run with 3RBI on the day. Empire was up 6-0 thru 5 innings of player before the Miners finally got on the board.
Who’s Hot! Austin Kromminga , .479 BA 9 RBIs, 13 runs, Josh Elder, .432 BA, 17 runs, 17 RBI, 4 doubles, 1 triple and 2 HR, 10 SB, 3-3 2.57 ERA 25Ks Silas Stewart, .408 BA, 8 RBIs, 21 runs, 7 Stolen Bases, Desmond Williams, .317 BA 11 RBIs, 13 runs, 1 HR Bobby Williams, .306 BA 10 RBIs, 5 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples
Match-ups: The Ravens will get easy PPTs vs San Miguel. The big game is actually between them and Santa Cruz rather than Safford. The reason is because Santa Cruz is ahead of them in power points and they need to leap-frog over them by the end of the season to have a chance at a plyoff spot. They should not take any chances and throw Elder at SC. The Safford game is also important but Plouck or Silas can keep them in the game as well as Elder. If they could win this game this would really help but in the end getting 2 wins out of 3 would be the ideal situation for the #9 Ravens. Questions: This Empire team is ranked #9 in our rankings for a reason. They are a very good team but can they leap-frog into the playoffs after getting far behind early with their tougher schedule. There is no room for any losses against teams they should beat and must beat a top team somewhere along the way as well.
#8 WINSLOW BULLDOGS #8
2010 Week 5 In Review #8 Winslow Bulldogs 10-4 Last Week: #8
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Holbrook 4-09 @ Show Low 4-10 Monument Valley
#8 Winslow 10 Show Low 0 Hunter Weems was 2-for-3 but Show Low had only two other hits in a 10-0 six-inning baseball loss at Winslow. Garrison Fawcett doubled in two at bats and Spencer Mallett was also 1-for-2. The Bulldogs had 11 hits and two errors. The Cougars committed three errors. Wolves Classic Baseball Results: #8 Winslow
9 Snowflake 10
#8 Winslow 6 Wickenburg 2 #8 Winslow 19
This Winslow has a lot of talent and stay at the #8 spot because of the play of the teams above them. Match-ups: The Bulldogs must be ready to play this week as they will play conference rival Holbrook in what should be a very good game. Holbrook is the team that can take the conference crown away from Winslow and they also have a good pitching staff. The game vs Show Low will be a re-match where the Bulldogs put a 10-0 hurt on them last week. Winslow should not have any problem with Monument Valley.
Buckeye 9 Questions:
#8 Winslow 8
Ft. Hills 15
Who’s Hot! Ty Hancock, .567 BA, 13 runs, 13 RBI, 2 HR, Tommy Gomez, .565 BA, 13 runs, 10 RBI, Anthony Huerta, .500 BA, 14 runs, 9 RBI, 4 Doubles, Jevon Estelle, .407 BA, 11 runs, 14 RBI
This Winslow team is ranked #8 in our rankings for a reason. They are always on top of the 3A North division but that is where they get hurt because of the lack of quality pitching they see during the regular season. This is still the same concern that comes up each and every year. Can this be the year they break out of the same routine and advance deep in the playoffs.
2010 Week 5 In Review #7 River Valley 13-6 Last Week: #7 #7 River Valley 11 Tonopah 1 By DANIEL McKILLOP/The Daily News Joe Renfro pitched a five-hit, five-inning, complete-game victory during the Dust Devils’ 11-1 win over the Tonopah HS Phoenix. “This is the second game in a row that Joe Renfro has pitched well,” RVHS head coach Aaron LaCasse said. “He’s thrown lots of strikes and changed speeds.” The senior right-handed pitcher/clean-up hitter also helped his cause at the plate. He tripled, walked, knocked in one run and scored two in two at-bats. The Dust Devils scored three runs in the first, two in the second, three in the third, and three in the fifth to end the game via mercy-rule. Robert Cooper tripled, singled, scored three runs and knocked in two, Matt Renfro was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI, and Gabe Blair went 1 for 2 with one walk and two runs scored to pace the Dust Devils’ offense. #7 River Valley 13 #2 YC 9 RV Matt Renfro doubled twice, singled, scored three runs, knocked in one in four at-bats and pitched four innings to pick up the win. His teammate Josh Advocate also contributed going 4 for 6, scoring twice and knocked in one run. He also pitched 3 innings to pick up the save. Add in Tanner Maras recorded three hits and Cody Taylor added two more to add to a very good hitting attack for River Valley.
Who’s Hot! Matt Renfro, .460 BA, 19 runs, 20RBI Joe Renfro, .421 BA, 16 runs, 20RBI
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-05 Mohave 4-07 Needles, CA Thismy dark-horse team in 3A! I know from experience that River valley has always had decent teams and this year they have surprised ALMOST all others by moving up to the #7 spot in our rankings and have been on our sleeper pick but have now been moved up to dark-horse status. Match-ups: The Dust Devils will have their rival game vs Mojave this week and it is always a battle. They should have all the pitchers available to try and gain valuable PPTs. They then play rival Needles, CA, always a power in CA, who they beat earlier in the year. Questions: This River Valley team is ranked #7 in our rankings for a reason. They are hitting and pitching and most of all playing tough defense. We now see if they are ready to hang with the BIG Dogs!
BRINGING IT: Dust Devils right- hander Matt Renfro completes his windup. DANIEL McKILLOP/The Daily News
#6 SNOWFLAKE LOBOS #6
2010 Week 5 In Review
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P
#6 Snowflake Lobos 12-5 Last Week: #6
Games This Week: 4-06 Show Low 4-07 @ St. Johns 4-09 @ Round Valley
#6 Snowflake 12 Round Valley 2
This Snowflake team has started to play like we knew they could as they made it to the championship game vs Chino at the EFH Wolves Classic.
Wolves Classic Baseball Results:
Match-ups: #6 Snowflake 10
#6 Snowflake 11
#8 Winslow 9
Wickenburg 10
#6 Snowflake 3
Buckeye 1
#6 Snowflake 8
Globe 7
The Lobos have no time to catch their breath because they have a tough schedule this week facing rival Show Low and then to #5 St. Johns from 2A. The key for them is they cannot have the letdowns they have had in the past and continue to stay focused.
Questions: #6 Snowflake 5 #4 Chino 15
Who’s Hot! Robby Martindell , .458 BA, 19 runs, 20 RBI, 2 HR, 11 Stolen bases Kyle Larsen, .424 BA, 24 runs, 18 RBI, 2 HR, (5-1-1) 3.03 ERA, Blake Peterson, .370 BA, 15 runs, 18 RBI, 5 Doubles, 1 HR Tanner Yellowhair , .389 BA, 15 runs, 15 RBI Nolan Hatch, .319 BA, 12 runs, 15 RBI, 3 Triples
This Snowflake team is ranked #6 in our rankings for a reason. They are a very good team but I still see a weakness in their pitching and they have a tendency to make errors that allow teams to stay in the game.
Mike James – The Independent Snowflake's Kyle Larson makes contact with the ball.
#5 SAFFORD BULLDOGS #5
2010 Week 5 In Review #5 Safford 13-4 Last Week: #5 #5 Safford 10 #10 Thatcher 1 By Brian Wright Sports Editor E.Courior The first time Thatcher and Safford met this season, Safford squeaked out a 3-2 victory on March 2. Tuesday’s game was nowhere near as close. The Bulldogs hammered out 15 hits and used a seven-run fifth inning to beat the Eagles 10-1. “For the first time in a long time, I felt really happy with all parts of the game — pitching, hitting and defense,” Safford coach Robert Abalos said. It was the sixth win in a row for the Bulldogs, who are off to a 13-4 start. Senior Matt Hart was 2-4 with a triple and three RBIs, and senior Stephen Walden went 2-4 with two RBIs. Junior Nate Navarrete and senior Zach Garcia also drove in a run, and Sam Delgado had three hits and two runs scored. Safford junior starter Greg Ornelas pitched six innings, allowed zero earned runs and struck out eight. He surrendered just four hits and one walk. Sophomore Derek Umphries pitched the seventh and struck out the side. Safford’s offense has been potent this year, but Abalos said the pitching has been just as important. “Pitching has been a huge part of it. When you throw strikes, you give your team a chance to win games,” he said. “The kids are accepting their roles well. It’s a real unselfish group, and that makes it a lot easier on me as a coach.”
Who’s Hot! Steven Walden, .600BA, 18runs, 18RBI, 5 HR
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Benson 4-09 Empire This Safford team is making people step up and take a look since they are playing some great baseball. They are a team that belongs in the top 5 for now. Match-ups: Benson and #10 Empire The Bulldogs have a game they must be careful about with Benson away and then they have a huge re-match with the Empire ravens who are a very good team. There is no doubt we will see Elder on the mound for the #10 ravens and Safford will have to decide who to pitch but they should have plenty of fire-power since they only play 2 games this week. The last meeting with Empire turned into a 10-8 win and as always there is plenty of hitting action more so than pitching in this rivalry game. Questions: This Safford team is ranked #5 in our rankings for a reason. They are a very good hitting team with good depth at pitching. However, my concern is the strength of schedule of to this point in the season. This could come into play once playoffs roll around. Photo by Preston Lindsey
2010 Week 5 In Review #4 Florence Gophers 14-4 Last Week: #2
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 @ Coolidge 4-09 South Pointe
#2 Florence 13 Globe 5 The #2 Gophers got behind early 5-4 vs Globe before exploding for 9 runs in the 5-6 innings to take the win from the defending state champion Tigers. Mike Shanks went 6 innings and to get the win for Florence.
The Gophers had a rough go of it at the Wolves Classic because of injuries so they dropped back down to #4. This is of no concern and should stay in the top 5 all season. Match-ups: S. Pointe, Coolidge
The Gophers will have a rival game vs Coolidge this week. More important #12 Hayden vs #4 Florence was meant then who pitches, the Gophers need to regroup and start the 2nd half of the to be a great game of mass proportions season doing what got them this far and based on who was pitching. For Hayden that is great pitching and more you had Formo who is one of the best pitchers in 1-3A! For Florence you had the importantly great defense. Both of these games are very important and S. Pointe young Touhey, our AZSports Freshman cannot be taken lightly and Coolidge Player of the Year-All-State who is one of the YOUNG GUNS of baseball. Both teams would love nothing better but to beat Florence at Home! got 2 runs in the 1st inning. In the 3rd Hayden took the lead with Florence making it all even at 3 after 5 innings of play. The Questions: game then went into extra inning where This Gophers team is ranked #4 in our the Gophers took the lead going into the rankings for a reason. They are very bottom of the 8th but an error cost the Gophers the lead and the game. Formo, 7 strong in all categories. However, the recent losses they have suffered comes ks in 8 innings allowing 8 hits walking 2 down to errors and this needs to be taken and 1 HBP. Touhey 5 hits 14 k's 3 walks (1 intentional) 1 ER, 3-4 at plate, 1 run, 1 lightly so it does not get in their heads but yet done in a way they know they RBI, 2 doubles! need to step it up in this area. Injuries seem to be concern as well so they need Who’s Hot! to get healthy. #2 Florence 4 #12 Hayden 5
A. Touhey, .525 BA, 23 runs, 17 RBI, 13 Doubles, 7 SB, 2-2 0.89 ERA, 33Ks
D. Marrufo, .444, 13 RBI, 5 wins, 1.29 ERA 28Ks TJ Gutierrez, .400 BA, 18 runs, 17RBI, 6 doubles, 5 HR Jose Moraga,.333 BA, 17R, 16RBI
2010 Week 5 In Review #3 Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets 15-3 Last Week: #3
#3 Blue Ridge 11 Window Rock 1
#3 Blue Ridge 16 Payson 1
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 St. Johns 4-09 Payson The Yellow Jackets were out early season #1 team and in a sense I still believe it to be the case but losing to FT. Hills and some games in the tourney puts them in our #3 spot and that is not all that bad. Match-ups: St. Johns and Payson
Wolves Classic Baseball Results:
#3 Blue Ridge 6 #3 Blue Ridge 9
Sedona 2 #2 Florence 0
#3 Blue Ridge 5
Dysart 4
#3 Blue Ridge 2
#4 Chino Valley 6
Who’s Hot! Nick Johnson, .340 BA, 18 runs, 19 RBI, 4 HR, 3 W 1 S, 1.62 ERA Ty Webster, .469 BA, 29 runs, 11SB 24 RBI, 2 HR, (5-1-1) 3.03 ERA, Nick Williams, .429 BA, 26 runs, 17 RBI, 8 Doubles, 3 triples Jack Jordan, 6-1 1.58 ERA, 24Ks 10 Stolen Bases Justin Espino, .421 BA, 18 runs, 19 RBI, 1 HR, 5 Doubles Ty Johnson, .340 BA, 13runs, 18 RBI, 5 doubles, 3 HR
The tougher game here could bs vs St. Johns. They have Webster available so we may see Webster vs Mineer on the mound for these 2 teams. These 2 teams are rivals and will put it all on the line in this game. Payson was beaten badly, (16-1) the last time these 2 teams met so we will see if the Longhorns can give them a better game but BR will have tons of pitchers ready to go to shutdown Payson. Questions: This Blue Ridge team is ranked #3 in our polls for a reason. However, with so much depth at pitching it seems like Jordan and Webster are logging a lot of innings which could lead to dead arms come playoff time.
#2 FOUNTAIN HILLS FALCONS #2
2010 Week 5 In Review #2 Fountain Hills 16-3 Last Week: #1 #1 Ft. Hills 10 Tempe Prep 0
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Payson 4-07 PCDS 4-08 NWC 4-08 Coolidge
#1 Ft. Hills 25 CSA 1 Wolves Classic Tournament #1 Ft. Hills 5 #4 Chino Valley 6 Jake Tant went the distance but got the loss as Ft. Hills jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the 1st but Chino was able to chip away and after 3 it was 4-3 in favor of FT. Hills. Chino then tied it up in the 5th and got 2 runs in the 7th to get the victory over the #1 Falcons. #1 Ft. Hills 10 Payson 5 The Falcons were down 1-0 going into the 3rd inning where they touched Payson for 3 runs which started the onslaught as Ft. Hills scored 10 runs in 3 innings to win the ball game. Andrew Fett got the win for the Falcons. #1 Ft. Hills 2 Verrado 3 The #1 Falcons held a 2-0 lead going into the 4th inning where Verrado got one run to make it 2-1 Falcons. However, in the 5th Verrado struck for 2 more runs to take a 3-2 which would hold up for the win. #1 Ft. Hills 15 #8 Winslow 8 #1 Ft. Hills collected 15 hits to win the slugfest vs Winslow. Kendall Amick pitched 4 innings to get the win for his team even though the falcons had 6 errors in the game. #1 Ft. Hills 6
EFH 16
Who’s Hot! Jake Tant, 6-1, 1.66 ERA, 41Ks, 46IP
The Falcons are a championship type team. The losses in the championship had little meaning besides the loss to Chino where both teams decided to put it all on the line. being in the 2 spot is not big deal. Match-ups: WOW 4 games in 4 days! Not much to say here!! Their testing will be tested as they face some real decent teams who could literally pitch aces against them each game. Ft. Hills has a lot of good pitching to counter so I see Tant vs Payson, Fett vs PCDS, Martinez vs NWC and Amick vs Coolidge getting the starts in these games. Payson and NWC are the more dangerous teams. Throwing Tant in Game 1 vs Payson is smart just in case they need help in Game 4 vs Coolidge. Questions: This Ft. Hills team is ranked #2 in our rankings for a reason. They are tough and loaded with pitching and one of the best fundamentally sound teams you will see. The issue I have is the amount of innings Tant has accumulated up to now. he had 46 IP with 7 appearances. This amounts to 7 complete games in 7 appearances since the start of the season with us only at the half-way mark. Coach Mike Briguglio is a top coach so I am sure he knows his players but this is a lot of innings.
#1 CHINO VALLEY COUGARS #1
2010 Week 5 In Review #1 Chino Valley 13-1-1 Last Week: #4
FROM THE DESK OF COACH P Games This Week: 4-06 Wickenburg 4-09 @ EFH
#1 Chino Valley 25 Williams 3 Wolves Classic Baseball Results: #4 Chino Valley #4 Chino Valley #4 Chino Valley #4 Chino Valley #4 Chino Valley in 5 innings!
6 9 6 6 15
#1 Ft. Hills 5 Payson 3 Verrado 0 #3 Blue Ridge 2 #6 Snowflake
Who’s Hot! The Daily Courier The Chino Valley baseball team continued its current hot streak Saturday, easily dispatching of Lakeside Blue Ridge and Snowflake en route to the Wolves Classic tournament title in Goodyear. Logan Morris picked up the win in the semifinals for the Cougars during their 6-2 victory over Blue Ridge. Offensively for Chino Valley in the semis, Nathan Zavos went 2-for-4 while Dylan Tucker, one day removed from pitching a no-hitter, went 1-for-3. Both Zavos and Tucker had two RBIs apiece. The tournament's championship game proved even easier for CVHS as the Cougars rolled to a 15-5, run-rule victory over Snowflake to claim the title. Tucker picked up the championship win in relief, and helped his own cause by going 3-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBIs, three of which came on a first-inning home run. Andrew Bailey finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs as well, while Zavos and Jason Nesbitt combined to go 4-for-7 in the championship game. The Cougars haven't lost since their second game of the season, when they dropped a 3-1 game to Mohave Valley River Valley at the Mohave T-Bird Classic. Since then, Chino Valley (17-1) has reeled off 16 straight wins.
This is a team with tons of tradition and they are a legit title contender as they were last year. They were suppose to be in rebuild mode but they proved this last weekend that they have all of the pieces to make a run at the state championship that had eluded them for the last 2 years. Match-ups: Wick and EFH The #1 Cougars will have a West show-down will conference rival and foe Wickenburg that will be a very tough game. These teams know each other well and Chino has can throw Bailey in order to secure the win. The game vs EFH cannot be overlooked as well because EFH baseball has improved tremendously and will look to knock off the top ranked team in the state. Questions: This Chino Valley team is ranked #1 in our rankings for a reason. They are a very good team who can match any team in talent. I still feel pitching may be an issue but it seems they are coming together better as a unit as they enter the 2nd part of the season. They now need to get high in the PPTs so they have a fairly nice road come playoff time at least early on.
Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier