(Mesa, AZ) They had to wait a day because of rain, but it was worth it for the Park University Gilbert baseball team as the won game one of a three-game series over No. 25 Benedictine Mesa 7-6 at Mesa Community College.
The Buccaneers move to 14-12 overall and 6-3 in the California Pacific Conference, while the Redhawks drop to 16-7 and 5-2 in conference play.
The Bucs jumped out in front in the top of the first with three runs off of Redhawks starter Kameron Haviland as Caleb Rozier led off with a double followed by a Brendana Blakeman walk. With one out, left fielder Gino Caperon hit his second home run of the season to bring home Rozier and Blakeman.
Benedictine answered back with one run in the first and two in the second off of Park Gilbert moundsman Junior Flores to tie the game. But this would be all the Redhawks could muster against the Maricopa, Ariz., lefty as he would have his longest outing of the year going seven innings and only allowing two hits after surrendering four in the first two innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
The Bucs would add a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth on errant Redhawk throws to retake a three-run lead. Against a team as good as BENU you need as many runs as you can get and the Bucs would add an insurance run in the eighth on a wild pitch.
The Bucs would need all of those runs as the BENU would attempt a comeback on the Bucs bullpen. Adrian Gamez came on in eighth and surrendered a run to make the score 7-4. Gamez who had only allowed one earned run all season before the run in the eighth would come back out in the ninth but struggled with control. BENU had the tying runs on second and third when Gamez walked the bases loaded. Park head coach Kelly Stinnett would make a pitching change to his other closer Diego Bustillos who threw a wild pitch which brought home run number six to make it a one-run game. But Bustillos would get the final out on a ground out to third to close out the game and pick up his third save of the season and 19th of his illustrious career.
At the plate, the Bucs only had seven hits as a team and five came off the bats of Rozier (3-5) and Caperon (2-4).
The two squads will complete the series tomorrow with a double header at Mesa Community College with the first game starting at 11 a.m. and the second contest 25-30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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