The Benedictine Mesa baseball team put up a strong fight in both games of Saturday's doubleheader but ultimately fell to OUAZ, dropping game one 14-9 and game two 5-3.

Game 1:
Benedictine's offense came out firing in the opener, as Ben Schnuman crushed a three-run homer to center field in the first inning, driving in Joesph Cosenza and Alec Larson to give the Redhawks an early 3-0 lead. OUAZ responded with a run in the second, but Schnuman struck again in the third, launching another three-run blast to center, once again bringing home Cosenza and Larson to extend the lead to 6-1.

The Spirit quickly answered in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on a passed ball to score an unearned run before Leach ripped a two-run triple. Another wild pitch allowed Leach to score, trimming Benedictine's lead to 6-5.

OUAZ took the lead in the fourth with back-to-back RBI singles, going up 7-6, and added another in the fifth with an RBI triple, making it 8-6. Benedictine fought back in the sixth when AJ Fernandez singled to left, and Jack Moore scored after a fielding error, cutting the deficit to 8-7.

The Spirit extended their lead again in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double, but Moore responded with an RBI single in the seventh to bring Benedictine back within one at 9-8. However, OUAZ broke the game open with a five-run eighth inning, capped by a two-RBI single from Winters, putting the game out of reach at 14-8.

Despite a late push in the ninth, where AJ Fernandez delivered an RBI single to score Ivan Santos, the Redhawks couldn't complete the comeback, falling 14-9.

Game 2:
Benedictine fought hard in the second game but came up short in a 5-3 defeat.

OUAZ took control early, scoring in the second on an RBI groundout. They added two more in the third, as Prenderga drove in a run with a single, and Hyzdu scored on a wild pitch, making it 3-0.

The Redhawks got on the board in the fourth when Willie Tatum lined an RBI single up the middle, scoring Ben Schnuman. In the fifth, Carlos Parra delivered a clutch moment, launching a two-run homer to left field, bringing in Oliver Davies and tying the game at 3-3.

However, the tie was short-lived as OUAZ responded in the bottom of the fifth. DeJesus singled and advanced to second on a throwing error, allowing Leach and Hyzdu to score, putting the Spirit back on top 5-3.

Benedictine continued to battle but couldn't break through in the final innings, as OUAZ held on for the win.

Key Performers

• Ben Schnuman: 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBIs
• Alec Larson: 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 2 Doubles
• Carlos Parra: 1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Home Run, 2 RBIs

Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will aim to bounce back when they return to the field on Tuesday, March 18, to take on Nelson University at home.