The Benedictine University Mesa baseball team showcased resilience and late-inning execution on Saturday, earning a split in a hard-fought doubleheader against Park-Gilbert. The Redhawks rallied for anÂ
8–6 extra-inning victory in Game One, before surging late inÂ
Game Two with a six-run seventh inning, ultimately falling just short in a high-scoring contest.
Game One: Benedictine Mesa 8, Park-Gilbert 6Â
Benedictine struck first in the opener, manufacturing a run in the second inning behind smart baserunning and timely hitting.Â
Oliver Davies reached base and stole third before scoring on an RBI single fromÂ
Jonas Dyas, giving the Redhawks an early 1–0 lead.
Park-Gilbert answered in the fourth with a two-run frame, taking advantage of consecutive singles and an RBI double to move ahead, 2–1. The game remained tight into the later innings before Benedictine flipped the script in the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, aggressive baserunning paid off asÂ
Cooper Jeffries scored on a catcher's error, and Davies later drove inÂ
Ben Schnurman with an RBI groundout to reclaim the lead at 3–2.
The decisive moment came in theÂ
seventh inning, when the Redhawks erupted for four runs on five hits.Â
Anthony Setticasi delivered a clutch RBI double, followed by run-scoring singles fromÂ
Jack Moore,Â
Davies, andÂ
Christian Ramos, pushing Benedictine ahead 7–6.
After Park-Gilbert threatened late, Benedictine added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single by Jeffries. The Redhawk bullpen shut the door in the bottom half, stranding a runner to secure the extra-inning victory.
Game Two: Benedictine Mesa 11, Park-Gilbert 8
Benedictine bounced back in a big way in the nightcap, erasing deficits twice and delivering their biggest offensive inning of the day to secure the win.
Park-Gilbert scored first in the second inning and added a two-run home run in the third to take a 3–0 lead. Benedictine answered in the fifth with a four-run inning, sparked by aÂ
two-run single from Ben Schnurman.Â
Oliver Davies added a sacrifice fly, andÂ
Tyson Treadgill followed with an RBI single to give the Redhawks a 4–3 advantage.
Park-Gilbert countered with four runs of its own in the bottom half, but the Redhawks refused to fade.
Trailing late, Benedictine exploded forÂ
six runs in the seventh inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues and delivering clutch hits.Â
Anthony Setticasi jumpstarted the rally with aÂ
two-run double, while Schnurman added a sacrifice fly. RBI singles fromÂ
Davies, Treadgill, and Cooper Jeffries extended the lead.
Park-Gilbert pushed across one run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Redhawks shut the door to secure theÂ
11–8 victory.
Â