(Mesa, AZ) The Park University Gilbert baseball team used two late game rallies to open the California Pacific Conference season with a double header sweep of Saint Katherine winning the first game 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth and the second game 7-5 with two runs in the seventh inning.
The Bucs move to 8-7 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
Game 1 – Park Gilbert 7, Saint Katherine 6
The Buccaneers trailed all game until they won it in the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk off walk. Park trailed 6-1 after falling behind early as USK touched up Buccaneer starter Junior Flores for six runs (four earned) and nine hits in 5.1 innings.
The Bucs had a tough time with Firebirds starting pitcher Christopher Paruleski, as they only scored one run, a Andrew Allanson home run, off of the right hander.
Things changed when each team when to their respective bullpens. Josh Leckey came in and shut down the USK bats over 3.2 innings while The Bucs touched up the opposing bullpen for the six runs over the final 3.2 innings, specifically the last inning and two thirds.
The Bucs put four runs on the board in the eighth to cut the lead to one as the sent nine batters to the plate. Caleb Rozier and Andrew Allanson got the inning started with a singles. After Rozier and courtesy runner Will Fleece stole second and third Brendan Blake man walked to load the bases and chase left handed reliver Tanner Boe.
Gino Caperon got the first run of the inning home with sacrifice fly and both Blakeman and Fleece moved up a base. Then Diego Bejarano singled to score the next two. After a walk to Connor Hommes to move Rees Hall, running for Bejarano to second. Enrique Figueroa drove home hall with a single to left to complete the scoring in the inning.
The ninth inning started with Rozier again getting things started, this time with a double to center. Rozier moved to third on a wild pitch before Allanson was walked. The Bucs attempted a safety squeeze bunt but Blakeman did not get the bunt far enough away from the USK pitcher and Rozier was put out in a run down between third and home.
With runners on the corners Caperon walked to load the bases. Bejarano came up big again, tying the game with a sacrifice fly to score Fleece running again for Allanson. Blakeman advanced to third on the play. With the winning run at third and two outs, USK was just one out from taking the game to extra innings. Jesh Leckey, who was pinch hitting, was walked to load the bases and then Figueroa gave the Bucs the victory as he worked another walk to “walk-off” the win for the Bucs in incredible comeback fashion.
Josh Leckey (1-1) gets his first win as a Buc in relief.
Rozier, Allanson, Bejarano and Cole Gillespie each had two hits in the game and Figueroa had two RBI.
Game 2 – Park Gilbert 7, Saint Katherine 5
Game two saw the Bucs have the lead for most of the game, before USK made a comeback to tie the contest and the Bucs had to have some late heroics to pull out the win.
USK got off to a solid start with a lead off home run from centerfielder Devin Padua. The Bucs would answer right back in the bottom half of the first as a infield single by Brendan Blakemanwould plate two runs as Matthew Seibold scored from third and then Allanson scored with some heads up baserunning after Blakeman and USK first baseman Jordan Frye collided, knocking Frye to the ground.
The Buccos would add two more in the second on catcher Cole Sneed’s first career home run, a two-run shot down the left field line off of a high fastball.
USK would get one in the third off of Bucs starter Ivri Margolin before he shut the door in the fourth and fifth innings. Margolin was sent out for the sixth, his first foray this late in the game this season. The Firebirds got two off of Margolin in the sixth to tie the game before he was pulled in favor of Trey Langan with two outs. Margolin would finish allowing seven hits and striking out seven without a walk.
Langan would get the final out of the inning and would throw the seventh and eighth innings. Allowing one run on two hits.
The Bucs would retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth as Hommes would reach third off of a dropped fly ball error from Padua and then score on a sacrifice fly by Gillespie.
After the Firebirds tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the seventh, the Bucs took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning as they plated two more runs.
Rozier, who was the catalyst in game one, took on the role one more time in game two. He led off the seventh with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Seibold would reach on a error by the USK shortstop but Rozier remained at third. Allanson was walked again to load the bases before back-to-back sacrifice flies by Caperon and Blakeman played two more runs.
Langan set USK down in the eighth and Adrian Gamez came in to close the door in the ninth and pick up his first career save. Langan (1-1) also picked up his first career win.
Allanson picked up two more hits and Blakeman and Sneed two RBI.
The Bucs and Firebirds close out the series Sunday morning starting at 11 a.m. at Arizona Athletic Grounds. Zachary Fogle is the probable starter on the mound for the Bucs.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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