Shamrocks advance
Yuma Catholic continues to state semis after home win over arizona College Prep
On Saturday, the No. 3 seed Yuma Catholic baseball team earned its second consecutive home win of the Arizona Interscholastic Association 3A State Championship Tournament with a 5-2 triumph over No. 11 seed Chandler-Arizona College Prep.
Yuma Catholic ace pitcher Issac Araiza got the start for the Shamrocks and showcased his dominance throughout. After two full innings, YC found themselves in a hotly contested scoreless tie. Then in the top of the third, ACP had one on with one out. At that point, Araiza induced a tailor-made double-play ball which the Shamrocks defense cashed in on to end the inning.
In the home half of that frame, the Shamrocks offense got to work and posted four runs. The first three YC batters reached safely to load the bases for Araiza who stepped to the plate with nobody out. Austin Priest, who led off the inning with a bunt single, was allowed to score from third thanks to a balk for Yuma Catholic’s first run.
Once Araiza’s at-bat continued, he eventually connected on a sharply hit ground ball which found a hole on the left side of the infield. That hit chased home two more runs, and the star pitcher wound up
on second after there was a throw to the plate. Later in the inning, a two-out RBI double to shallow left from Anthony Carrillo added the final run of Yuma Catholic’s rally.
The Shamrocks surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and led 4-2 at that point. In the bottom half of that inning, a twoout RBI double by Christian Ramos to right field gave YC some insurance at 5-2 heading into the latter stages of the ballgame.
Araiza again faced some adversity on the mound in the sixth inning as ACP had two men on with only one out. From that point in, the right-hander dialed in and struck out the next two batters he faced to end a potential threat and get out of the inning. In the seventh, Araiza had a much easier time of it and struck out the side to preserve the Yuma Catholic win.
All told, Araiza struck out 12 and allowed just three hits and no earned runs. Offensively, YC posted six hits. Juan Lugo went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Afterward, Yuma Catholic head coach Judd Thrower said he was very pleased with how his club handled the adverse moments when the outcome of the game was in question.
“The fifth inning was tough for us and we gave away some opportunities to score,” Thrower told The Yuma Sun. “That’s when I reminded the guys that they are going to take a couple of punches, it’s all about how you react. Late in the game, Issac had more zip on his pitches and he played with pure determination. And that run we scored in the bottom of the fifth was huge because I feel like we regained the momentum at that point.”
Next up on the schedule, Yuma Catholic will play No. 2 seed ALA- Gilbert North in a best-of-three state semifinal round. That series begins on Tuesday at the Goodyear Baseball Complex in Goodyear, Arizona. Coach Thrower has not yet decided on a starting pitcher for that contest. Overall, he feels confident about the upcoming matchup.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle but I believe in our team. Our offense is really in a groove right now and we are getting good swings on the ball and putting good at bats together. We’ll be going up against a tough and well coached team that is very talented, so the hottest team is going to be the one that wins the series,” Thrower added.