BY PETE MOHR | MARCH 10, 2011
Senior bats not enough
After stumbling-and-bumbling to 11 errors (likely a CSHS dubious record) in their 6-14 loss at Raymond Kellis, March 3, the Baseball Falcons had only one way to go in their March 8 home opener against Sunrise Mountain: up! And they did, playing errorless ball, but falling to the Mustangs’ heavy lumber in the late innings. Final: Sunrise, 13 – CSHS, 5.
The ‘Birds had actually rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 5th to take a 5-4 lead – and could possibly have broken the game open but for two back-to-back base running indecisions that killed their 5th inning rally. Reprieved, the visiting Mustangs broke out their big bats, knocking our starter Joey Ford (who’d pitched well) with four runs in the 6th and putting the game on ice with five more in the 7th. Two Mustang relievers (one appropriately named Aaron Bummer) blanked the ‘Birds in their last two ups.
Pictured (l-r): seniors shortstop Charlie Dominick (two hits), 1st baseman Max Patterson (his first HR of the season) and rightfielder John Leonard (two hits) accounted for five of the eight Falcon hits.
Postgame, Head Coach Spencer Grace told Sonoran News, “We’ll be looking for momentum, “ as his team travels to Surprise, Thursday, March 10 for a 6 p.m. contest at “new” Shadow Ridge, then gears up for four “Spring Classic” games all at Sunnyslope High School. Falcons’ tournament schedule: Friday, March 11 at 2 p.m. vs. Cortez; Saturday, March 12 at 10 a.m. vs. ‘Slope and 1 p.m. against (Cottonwood) Mingus; Monday, March 14, 2 p.m. vs. Queen Creek. The Saturday ‘doubleheader” against ‘Slope and Mingus is worth the drive to Dunlap Avenue, just west of Central.
Stand tall, Falcs! There’s still plenty of baseball in this young season to get it right.
