Another game, another 10-run rule in force for the victorious Mingus Union High School baseball team.
Junior second baseman Orlando Machado cleared the bases twice — once on a three-run home run and again on a double that batted in three more runs — as the Marauders [18-2-1] beat Flagstaff High School at home, 14-4, to close in on the top seed in the Division II state tournament Friday, April 11, with eight games to play.
Senior first baseman Austin Zwart also had a home run to tie for the section lead with six, adding a double for three RBIs, while senior third baseman Tyler Bond added another three RBIs on a single and a double to help end the game against the Eagles early with a three-run sixth inning.
“It doesn’t really matter who we play, we can’t take them for granted,” said senior outfielder Taylor Mathe, who also went three for three with four runs scored and an RBI to help the Marauders’ cause. “We need to carry as much momentum as we can into the next game.”
Momentum was initiated early by the Marauders with a five-run first inning, then continued as MUHS put the game away with two runs in the third and three more in the fourth.
“We’ve got to come out playing every team like that,” Mathe said, “like they’re the best team in the league.”
Senior Marshall Shill allowed six hits and struck out seven over six innings for the complete-game victory, his sixth, tied for the most in Section V. At the plate, Shill helped himself to two singles, an RBI and a stolen base.
“As a coaching staff and as players, we know we’re playing to the best of our ability,” said assistant coach Breck Bond, who works primarily with Machado, Shill and other pitchers on the Marauders staff. “It all depends on how the playoff format lays out.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 16, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
