The two-year Division II experience on the diamond for Mingus Union High School ended not with a bang, but in a subdued whisper Saturday, May 9.
Orlando Machado went two for two with a walk and a run scored, but fellow senior Gage Benevento could not last through the fourth inning on the mound in a 5-2 loss to Sunrise Mountain of Peoria in the opener of the state tournament’s consolation round.
While head coach Bob Young’s Marauders will roar back into Division III next spring having won 47 games the past two seasons, which division softball will be playing in next spring remains uncertain.
Besides Benevento and Machado, only freshman Andrew Kulis and senior Tom McCarty reached base against the Mustangs. This was after a 12-2 loss at the hands of Tucson High School, the tournament’s top seed, in the second round May 6.
“They think they can do it: That’s most of it,” Young said. “I usually chew on them when we’re winning. When we’re down, I just try to keep their heads in the game.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, May 13, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
