Early game features late drama in Session 1 14u action in AZ

By Marcos Aragon

CHANDLER — The first games of the Triple Crown Baseball Arizona Spring Championships began Thursday morning, but the late game drama has already arrived.

​A back-and-forth contest between Phoenix (UT) and the SCV Scorpions ended at 7-5 with the Scorpions emerging victorious. SCV’s Alexander Howard went 1-3 with three RBI on the day, but his two-run double in the top of the sixth inning is what eventually propelled the Scorpions over Phoenix (Farmington, UT).
 
Entering the final inning, the Scorpions were down 5-3, but assistant coach Gabriel Montiel explained that the message from the coaches to the players in the dugout was a simple one: just get on base.

“Putting the ball in play and forcing the opponent to make plays,” Montiel said. “Everybody collectively getting on base, making contact, I think that was by far one of the best messages we can give when we’re in this kind of situation when we’re losing.”

The Scorpions (Santa Clarita, CA) were down 5-4 when Howard stepped up to bat. He drilled the ball into the outfield and drove in two runs while flying to second base for his only hit of the game, but at an extremely crucial time. Howard later made it home after a Jackson Banuelos flyout to bring the score to 7-5.

The Scorpions defense had surrendered two separate inside-the-park home-runs that gave Phoenix four of their five total runs. But just like the clutch offense, the defense had their best inning in the bottom of the sixth by retiring the first three batters. 

“We’re really strong defensively in the infield, we’re situated in a place where we can move different players around and still have that strength,” Montiel said. “For this game specifically, our middle infield and our catchers definitely stood out.

“Our catching has been phenomenal. We have a big backstop — 30, 29 feet from home plate, so that’s crucial in blocking the baseballs and in 14u, that can be hard sometimes, it’s difficult. They did a phenomenal job of blocking the baseballs and keeping them in front of them and keeping anyone from advancing or scoring.”

The Scorpions' first game was no easy test but they’re happy with the win, Montiel explained. Starting off the weekend’s games with a victory does a lot for the team both mentally and for their game plan. 

“It’s a huge motivation push,” Montiel said. “Obviously from a mental standpoint, their confidence level is above and it also puts in a situation where we can move pitchers around to be a little more strategic."