Badgers 5-Run Rally Beats Crismon 10-9

Photo: The Badgers celebrate their comeback win

This season the Prescott Badgers seem at times that they enjoy living on the edge. Yesterday was no different as they flirted with disaster but rallied to beat the Crismon Rattlers 10-9 in 8 innings, in a battle of top 10 teams.

It was a rough start for the Badgers as the first three Rattlers reached base without even hitting the ball out of the infield. Starting pitcher Travis Gates hung in there and kept battling, but Crismon hung a four spot on the board in the top half of the first inning.

The score remained the same through three innings as the Badgers finally put a string of hits together to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth on RBIs by Adrian Sanderford, Colton Champion, Jacob Patterson and a two RBI single by Dom Cruz.

Trailing by one in the top of the seventh, Crismon scratched out the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Kaden Peed.

Photo: Shortstop Ivan Schuster with the tag on Aaden Lopez with Cooper Magnett looking on in the fourth inning

Prescott went quietly in the bottom of the inning as the game moved into extra innings in what would turn out to be one long crazy eighth.

The wheels fell off the Badger cart as all kinds of uncharacteristic things happened to the home team in the top of the eighth. Walks, hit batters, a shallow fly ball in between two players that went for a single, wild pitches, pass balls, and a pair of errors, put Prescott in a 9-5 hole.

Photo: Jacob Patterson takes off after his second hit of the game that went for an RBI single to center in the eighth

One thing this season has taught me is that this Badger team can weather a storm and has a tremendous amount of resiliency. Then they came out and proved it again.

Meanwhile Crismon, located in Queen Creek, was feeling really good about their big lead and was talking it up about getting the three outs and enjoying a festive bus ride home. The Badgers had another plan.

Photo: Dom Cruz reacts to the Badger bench after his two RBI single in the eighth inning next to first base coach Terry Magnett

Chasing four runs, Travis Gates hustle down the line paid off when he hit a ball to the left side forcing a quick throw that went for an error, and the comeback was on. Champion was then hit by the pitch. Patterson singled to center to load the bases with no outs. The Rattlers then went to bullpen and brought in Ryan Wilsford who was greeted by Dom Cruz’s two RBI single to left. Cruz finished with a game high four RBIs said, “I almost didn’t get to bat. There was some talk of pinch hitting for me after I struck out the time before, but the guy didn’t have his shoes on and the umpire said lets go. So I went up. The pitcher came at me with a slow curve ball and I was just sitting there waiting for it to drop in the zone. Once it came down I jumped on it. Then came the big hit by Nick knocking me in. It was a great finish.”

Photo: Nick Martin had a game tying single with two RBIs in the eighth

Nick Martin saved his only hit on the day for the perfect moment as he sharply singled to center, scoring Patterson followed by a head first sliding Cruz to tie the game at nine.

Martin said, “I had not had my best at bats when I came up that last time. That at bat I knew I had to do something and get something going. Normally, I might take a first strike but this time I just wanted to hit the ball hard and I barreled it up. It was an awesome moment.”

After a strikeout, Sanderford was awarded first base to load the bases once again. A move that the Rattlers were hoping would give them their best chance at a double play to get out of the inning with the game still tied.

Cooper Magnett came up with one out and hit a ground ball to the second baseman who tossed it to the shortstop on second base for the second out, but the relay to first was a tad too late as Magnett motored down the line safely giving the Badgers a 10-9 win.

Magnett said, “We came in from the field down by four and I reminded the guys that we have comeback from worse, like Mingus last year. We are just so resilient. We just kept putting pressure on the picture and the fielders by putting the ball in play. I know I didn’t kill it but I knew that would try to turn two. Fortunately I beat it out.”

Magnett was also part of the basketball team that won the region as well. About being a two-time Grand Canyon Region champ Magnett added, “It’s just pretty amazing. Yeah, winning the region is always the number one goal. It just feels good to be a part of the teams that accomplished this.”

Prescott Coach Jason “Hutch” Hutchens said, “I am proud of the boys. I told them a lot of teams down by four with three outs left, it would be easy to give up. We had great approaches at the ball. We did what we have been doing all season long and that is putting balls in play.”

Photo: Starting pitcher Travis Gates threw seven innings with 5 strikeouts

Prescott pitching held the big bat of Aaden Lopez in check. The junior had 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and was batting .565 coming into the game. Lopez was held to a single and walked once in five plate appearances. “I just wanted to challenge him,” said Badgers starting pitcher Travis Gates. “I felt like today we were playing with house money. Of course we wanted to win but it wasn’t going to end our season if we lost.” Gates went seven innings, throwing 104 pitches, tiring a bit that opened the door for the Rattlers to get that tying run in the top of the seventh.

Crismon, ranked #6 fell to (19-8), while the Badgers won their fifth straight and are (17-5) on the season. Both teams will wait till after the results of the play-in games in order to see who they will play in round one of the playoffs that begin Saturday at 11am.

PRESCOTT BADGERS 10, CRISMON RATTLERS 9, 8 innings

Innings- 123 456 78 – R H E

Crismon 400 000 14 – 9 10 1

Prescott 000 500 05 – 10 11 2

WP:Lampe

LP:Coplen

4A DIVISION PLAY-IN GAMES-Wednesday at 4pm

#24 Eastmark (9-13) at #9 Bradshaw Mountain (18-6)

#17 Walden Grove (12-11) at #16 Mica Mountain (12-11)

#18 Douglas (15-9) at #15 Flagstaff (17-9)

#21 Cholla (10-7) at #12 Yuma (20-5)

#22 Lee Williams (11-11) at #11 Deer Valley (17-8)