A trio of unlikely hitters helped Mingus Union High School baseball remain undefeated Tuesday, March 17.
Freshman second baseman Tyler Kelly singled home the game-winning run from second base in the sixth inning to beat Wickenburg High School, 3-2.
Sophomore catcher Gus Henley initiated the rally with a double down the left-field line with two outs.
“I knew we were down two outs,” he said. “I was just focusing on getting a base hit for our team.”
Henley hit .600, including the only home run of the tournament, as the Marauders swept four games in the Route 66 Classic in the face of 40 mph winds over four days.
“It was so bad, if you hit a ball in the right spot, it wouldn’t go anywhere,” Henley said. “It just died.”
Junior Fernando Chavez made up for one of his two runs allowed before being moved to the infield in favor of senior Gage Benevento, lining a triple into right field in the fifth inning.
“Gage did a great job,” said Marauders head coach Bob Young. “Fernando had a little trouble with his control.
“He’s got to throw strikes. Where he gets into trouble, he tries to strike everybody out. I tell the guys, hit your spots, we’ll get ground balls. That’s why he wasn’t out there that long.”
For the full story and photos, please see the Wednesday, March 18, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
