The Benedictine Mesa baseball team put up a strong effort but came up short against Arizona Christian, dropping both games of the series—falling 10-5 in game one and 15-4 in game two.
Game 1:
Benedictine Mesa battled hard in the opener, but Arizona Christian's power hitting proved too much to overcome. ACU got on the board first in the second inning with an RBI single from Garcia, capitalizing on an error to take a 1-0 lead. The Redhawks responded in the third when AJ Fernandez came through with a clutch two-run single, bringing home Carlos Parra and Alec Larson to give BENU a 2-1 lead. However, ACU quickly answered with an RBI single from Tarver to tie the game at 2-2.
BENU briefly regained the lead in the fourth when Preston Vine-Close ripped a double to right center, driving in Jack Moore to make it 3-2. But Arizona Christian answered with a sacrifice fly from Beckworth to even things up at 3-3. The fifth inning proved decisive, as ACU's Edmonds and Kiaunis each launched two-run homers, followed by an RBI single from Sanders, pushing ACU's lead to 8-3.
Joseph Cosenza provided a spark for the Redhawks with a solo home run in the sixth, but Arizona Christian countered with another homer from Ivy in the bottom half. Sanders added an insurance run with a solo shot in the seventh. Alec Larson delivered a late home run for BENU in the ninth, but the comeback effort fell short as ACU secured the 10-5 win.
Game 2:
In the second game, Benedictine Mesa started strong but couldn't slow down Arizona Christian's high-powered offense. ACU took an early 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run single from Kiaunis. The Redhawks cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second when Ethan Graham's sacrifice fly brought Cosenza home. However, ACU answered immediately in the bottom half with a two-run single from Tarver, extending their lead to 4-1.
BENU fought back in the third as Alec Larson crushed a solo home run, and Jacob Bauler drove in Carlos Parra with an RBI single before advancing on an error. Jude Sullivan then grounded out but managed to bring Bauler home, tying the game at 4-4. Unfortunately, ACU quickly regained control in the bottom half of the inning, with Beckworth's RBI double and a two-run home run from Eastham pushing them ahead 7-4.
Arizona Christian's offense exploded in the fourth, tacking on five more runs, including a two-run homer from Kiaunis and an RBI single from Garcia. The scoring continued in the fifth, with ACU plating three more runs to put the game out of reach at 15-4.
Key Players:
Looking Ahead:
The Redhawks will look to bounce back as they return to action on Saturday, March 29th, for another road matchup against Arizona Christian.
