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Chandler Hamilton won its 10th state baseball championship the hard way on Tuesday, May 19.
Down 7-0 in the second inning, the Huskies capped their largest comeback in a 6A championship game with a 10-7 victory over defending champion Corona del Sol before a crowd of 3,295 at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Hamilton coach Mike Woods handed the ball to reliever Dean Thompson in the third inning and he shut down the Aztecs' big hitters the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the offense, behind Ben Ball and Parker Rahn, heated up.
The Huskies scored two runs in the third, five in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Ball had a triple, double and a walk. Rahn blasted a solo homer in the sixth.
"It's been the story all year," Ball said. "Never quitting, as many times we've been down. We were down 5-0 to Casteel and we walked it off. Down 7-1 to O'Connor, we came back. Down here 7-0, we came back. That's what we do. We're so resilient. We wouldn't want to go out any other way."
Hamilton added drama to the win in the seventh when Thompson got into his only trouble on the mound.
He misjudged Parker Williams' high fly ball in the infield after issuing a walk. Woods came out to calm him and the rest of his infield.
Thompson then got David Moss to pop up to first base. After a single by Gabe Becho-Garcia loaded the bases with one out, Quinn Atwood grounded to shortstop Alex Wells, who turned a game-ending double play, setting off a wild celebration.
"I knew I had to get ahead in counts, just competing," Thompson said. "That's what we do on this team. I wanted to do it for my brothers, keep us in the game. This was a great team this year."
No. 4-seed Corona del Sol (22-8), which had not lost in the tournament, looked like it was on its way to a five-inning run rule, the way it was swinging the bats in its seven-run second inning. The Aztecs had seven hits in the inning with the big blow coming on Parker Williams' three-run triple, his second hit of the inning.
No. 3 Hamilton (22-10) started to get to starter Kellan Tom with Ball and Rahn hitting back-to-back doubles in the third. Colton Floyd came on in the fifth to pitch for the Aztecs. With the bases loaded, Floyd dropped the ball on the mound, which resulted in a balk and a run scoring. A sacrifice fly by Tyler Nelson and an RBI single by Cory Wuttke gave Hamilton an 8-7 lead.
Insurance was added in the sixth with Rahn's homer and a single by Nelson following a double by Kristopher De Santiago to make it 10-7.
"You can never count us out, that's for sure," Rahn said.
Asked if it was the team's biggest comeback, Ball said, "Our whole season was a comeback."
"The Cardiac Huskies," Ball added.
Woods never doubted his team's resilience after falling behind 7-0.
"We've played this game many times this year," Woods said.
On May 9, in the double-elimination state tournament, Hamilton was down 7-1 to Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor before winning 11-7. After O'Connor came out of the losers' bracket and gave Hamilton its only loss of the tournament, 2-1, it forced a second semifinal showdown the next day. And Hamilton punched its 13th championship game appearance with a 4-3 win over O'Connor.
"The important thing was Dean putting zeroes up," Woods said. "We played some tough games. You don't want to start off in a hole. But these kids believe. They have a certain belief. It's a special thing we got going."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton stages big rally to win 6A baseball title
Continue reading...
Down 7-0 in the second inning, the Huskies capped their largest comeback in a 6A championship game with a 10-7 victory over defending champion Corona del Sol before a crowd of 3,295 at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Hamilton coach Mike Woods handed the ball to reliever Dean Thompson in the third inning and he shut down the Aztecs' big hitters the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the offense, behind Ben Ball and Parker Rahn, heated up.
The Huskies scored two runs in the third, five in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Ball had a triple, double and a walk. Rahn blasted a solo homer in the sixth.
"It's been the story all year," Ball said. "Never quitting, as many times we've been down. We were down 5-0 to Casteel and we walked it off. Down 7-1 to O'Connor, we came back. Down here 7-0, we came back. That's what we do. We're so resilient. We wouldn't want to go out any other way."
Hamilton added drama to the win in the seventh when Thompson got into his only trouble on the mound.
He misjudged Parker Williams' high fly ball in the infield after issuing a walk. Woods came out to calm him and the rest of his infield.
Thompson then got David Moss to pop up to first base. After a single by Gabe Becho-Garcia loaded the bases with one out, Quinn Atwood grounded to shortstop Alex Wells, who turned a game-ending double play, setting off a wild celebration.
"I knew I had to get ahead in counts, just competing," Thompson said. "That's what we do on this team. I wanted to do it for my brothers, keep us in the game. This was a great team this year."
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No. 4-seed Corona del Sol (22-8), which had not lost in the tournament, looked like it was on its way to a five-inning run rule, the way it was swinging the bats in its seven-run second inning. The Aztecs had seven hits in the inning with the big blow coming on Parker Williams' three-run triple, his second hit of the inning.
No. 3 Hamilton (22-10) started to get to starter Kellan Tom with Ball and Rahn hitting back-to-back doubles in the third. Colton Floyd came on in the fifth to pitch for the Aztecs. With the bases loaded, Floyd dropped the ball on the mound, which resulted in a balk and a run scoring. A sacrifice fly by Tyler Nelson and an RBI single by Cory Wuttke gave Hamilton an 8-7 lead.
Insurance was added in the sixth with Rahn's homer and a single by Nelson following a double by Kristopher De Santiago to make it 10-7.
"You can never count us out, that's for sure," Rahn said.
Asked if it was the team's biggest comeback, Ball said, "Our whole season was a comeback."
"The Cardiac Huskies," Ball added.
Woods never doubted his team's resilience after falling behind 7-0.
"We've played this game many times this year," Woods said.
On May 9, in the double-elimination state tournament, Hamilton was down 7-1 to Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor before winning 11-7. After O'Connor came out of the losers' bracket and gave Hamilton its only loss of the tournament, 2-1, it forced a second semifinal showdown the next day. And Hamilton punched its 13th championship game appearance with a 4-3 win over O'Connor.
"The important thing was Dean putting zeroes up," Woods said. "We played some tough games. You don't want to start off in a hole. But these kids believe. They have a certain belief. It's a special thing we got going."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton stages big rally to win 6A baseball title
Continue reading...
