Gila Ridge survives scare against Kofa

With an AIA postseason berth potentially on the line, No. 17 Gila Ridge found themselves in a dogfight against two-win Kofa at Dean Stout Ballpark on Wednesday night.

The Hawks (13-5 AIA) trailed most of the game, but came back to tie it after six innings.

Entering the top of the seventh Gila Ridge’s Anane Wilson led off by reaching on an error by the Kings’ (215) shortstop. Wilson quickly found himself standing on second following a passed ball.

With Gage Warnock in the box, the senior ripped an RBI single into right field to score Wilson and give the Hawks a 7-6 advantage. And like that, the wheels fell off for the Kings.

“(Gage) has been really good with runners on base,” Gila Ridge head coach James Kuzniak said. “He’s really bought into hitting in the middle of the order.”

Two hit-by-pitches and a walk later loaded the bases for the Hawks and sophomore Jack Scanlan delivered. Scanlan smoked a two-run double to give Gila Ridge a three-run cushion.

But the Hawks were not done yet.

Leo Magallanes scored on a passed ball before Blake Avila’s sac-fly scored Scanlan to give the Hawks a fiverun seventh inning.

“It’s kind of been like this all year and not panic and when we get the opportunity, we have confidence with our offense,” Kuzniak said.

While the offense provided late production, it was the effort by Nathan Hoskins on the mound that gave the Hawks their eighth consecutive win over the Kings.

Hoskins relieved sophomore Brandon Jaime after 1.1 innings trailing 2-1. Hoskins pitched the final 5.2 innings and limited a Kings offense that showed life at times.

“We preached we needed to stay away from the big innings,” Kuzniak said. “He’s come in a few times over the last week in a tough spot and has pitched well both times.”

The Hawks not only hit and pitched well in the victory, but took advantage of the King’s defensive mistakes.

In the top of the third, Gila Ridge trailed 4-1 and had runners on with twodown. Wilson lined a single into right field that went beneath the fielder’s legs, allowing the Hawks to cut the deficit to one while Wilson

advanced to third. Two pitches later, Wilson scored on a passed ball and tied the game.

Gila Ridge currently sits at No. 17 in the 5A rankings. The top-16 in each conference advance to the postseason.

But the Hawks did what they needed to on Wednesday to keep their chances alive.

“We’ve told the kids since the Apollo game, all we can control is the next five games,” Kuzniak said. “We’re right there. We’re right behind (Centennial)... Selfishly, I think we deserve to be in there...We’re going to keep our fingers crossed and we’ve seen crazy things happen before.”