Flagstaff baseball beats Greenway, 9-3, in Saturday home game | Local

ERIC NEWMAN Sun Sports Editor

Flagstaff’s bats got hot and stayed that way Saturday, as the No. 21 Eagles defeated No. 46 Greenway, 9-3, at home.

The Eagles had eight different batters reach base at least once, with many having multi-hit games.

Senior Spencer Smith went 3 for 3 with two runs and a sacrifice fly for an RBI, senior Ben Smith went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, a run and a walk and Chad Philpot went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs, among those who had solid outings.

The offensive output was Flagstaff’s best in four games and snapped a three-game losing streak.

“Today I think we really found it. All of us throughout the lineup were hitting. We got ahead early at first against the pitcher, and then we started sitting back more and seeing the ball better, so as a group it was great to see everyone get hits,” said senior Tristen Figueroa, who went 2 for 4 with a pair of runs.

“We’ve struggled a little bit offensively lately, so it was good to see those guys have great days and help the offense out,” added coach Mike DoBosh.

People are also reading…

Flagstaff benefitted from aggressive running on the bases, too. The Eagles advanced base 10 times on steals or wild pitches, while playing solid defense against Greenway’s runners.

“We practice reading the ball, if you see a down-angle or a ball in the dirt, take another shuffle, and if it gets by the catcher we’re gone for a steal,” Figueroa said.

The Eagles took a 3-1 lead after three innings and never gave up their advantage.

Senior Morgen Quotskuyva pitched four innings, giving up just one run before being subbed for freshman Drew Smith in the fifth frame. Smith hit a Greenway batter to load the bases with no outs and allowed another walk to give the Demons a run. But, he struck two batters out and got out of the inning without allowing Greenway to tie the score.

Flagstaff continued to increase his lead, scoring three runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to take a 9-2 lead.

In the top of the sixth inning, junior Luke Wilson came on to pitch for the Eagles. With two runners on, he gave up a single to allow the Demons to load the bases. But, he pitched two strikeouts and got a fly ball to keep the Demons scoreless.

In the seventh inning, the Demons loaded the bases again, but came away with just one run out of the situation. They never truly challenged Flagstaff’s lead late, and the Eagles finished the game by catching a fly ball.

“They did a good job,” DoBosh said of his pitchers navigating tricky spots. “Obviously lost a little focus to get into those spots, and Greenway did a good job of taking advantage of that to get guys on. But then they just focused up and threw the right pitches to get out of it.”

The Eagles (4-5, 0-4 Grand Canyon) are still fighting for a spot in the 24-team 4A Conference play-in round. They will host No. 16 Lee Williams on Monday.

Comments are closed.