Glendale, Ariz. - The Firestorm struck first in an emphatic 11-4 win over the #19 Benedictine Mesa Redhawks on Saturday night at Greenway High School. After being deadlocked at 3-3 through three complete innings, Arizona Christian piled on eight runs. Marques Titialii became the outright leader in career home runs for ACU Baseball, smashing a pair of two-run home runs to bring his total to 27.
Andrew Ivy picked up where he left off on Friday, hitting a perfect 3-for-3 and reaching safely in all five plate appearances.
ACU's starting pitcher Adrian Santa Cruz collected his second win of the young season by managing 5.0 innings, allowing three runs and recording seven strikeouts.
Through nine games, the Firestorm jump back above .500 and seek a series sweep of the Redhawks on Monday night at Gene Autry.
GAME INFO
Score: RV Arizona Christian 11 | #19 Benedictine Mesa 4
Records: RV ACU 5-4 (0-0 GSAC) | #19 Ben Mesa 3-4 (0-0 Cal Pac)
Location: Greenway High School - Glendale, AZ
STAT TRACKER
Andrew Ivy - 3 hits, 1 RBIs, 1 double
Marques Titialii - 2 hits, 4 RBIs, 2 home runs
Ryan Eastham - 1 hit, 3 RBIs
Jaylen Edmonds - 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 double
Jared Anderson - 1 hit, 1 RBI
Adrian Santa Cruz - 5.0 IP, 3 RA, 7 strikeouts
Payton Robertson - 1.0 IP, 2 HA, 3 strikeouts
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Santa Cruz and the Firestorm defense worked a solid opening inning, retiring the side despite two batters getting free passes. Ivy whacked a ball right through the middle gap in the lead off spot, setting up an early scoring chance. In his usual third position, Titialii sent a no-doubter over the left-center fence and made ACU Baseball history. Jaylen Edmonds followed up a Trey Tarver walk with a double down the right field line to extend the damage to three runs, where it would end for the time being.
Arizona Christian stranded two Ben Mesa runners in the second and could not add to their total themselves despite a double from the hot-handed Ivy.
Though Santa Cruz got ahead in the third (strikeout, groundout), a walk and two passed balls spelled trouble. A fielding error by second baseman Justin Colon sent the first Redhawk run home and a proceeding home run from Jack Fitzgerald knotted the game at 3-3.
The Firestorm could not cash in on two walked batters in the bottom half of the third inning. This bled into back-to-back "three up, three down" half innings for the opposing teams. In his final trip to the mound, Santa Cruz avoided giving up another run following a single by Ryan Curran, striking out the last two batters he would face.
Ivy led the Firestorm off for the second time and for the third time successfully got on base via a hit. Someone dropped a dime in the jukebox, for Titialii replicated his first at-bat and deposited another ball over the left-field fence. A Tarver single threatened to add to the inning's tally but a subsequent Troy Collins' strikeout and failed stolen base attempt from Tarver ended it.
Jackson Hohensee relieved Santa Cruz on the mound and struck out two of the first three Redhawks he encountered. The second fielding error for ACU (Edmonds), however, enabled Ben Mesa's Preston Vine-Close to bat in a run and cut the lead to one (5-4).
The bottom of the sixth would be the back-breaker for Ben Mesa, as nine Firestorm stepped up to the plate and three more runs were added to the scoreboard. Two relievers (Luis Montenegro and Kuhron Patrick) would concede five walks and one hit by pitch to the Firestorm. Two runs would be walked in and the third came by means of Anderson hitting a sacrifice fly to left and scoring Riley Quinton.
Hohensee got through the seventh as well, unscathed as neither team would score in the inning. Payton Robertson was entrusted with the ball for the Firestorm. Despite surrendering two hits to Ben Mesa, he struck out three batters and closed the door on hope for runs.
The Firestorm scoring palooza was not finished, as three hits brought three more runs in when the eighth inning came to an end. It seemed two singles by Sean Garcia and Anderson would be wasted as two batters were rung up, but Ryan Eastham, who replaced Collins at catcher in the sixth, got three runners home with a single to third base.
Blake Davidson made his Firestorm debut in a closing role on the mound. He performed admirably, punching out one batter and forcing a flyout and lineout.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH JOE MCDONALD
"We pitched really well again tonight," Coach McDonald said. "I thought we had some really good at-bats and zone awareness with plate discipline. Congratulations to Marques Titialii, the new ACU career home run king. I love this team!"
NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM
The Arizona Christian Firestorm take a 2-0 lead into Monday, as the three-game series finishes with #19 Benedictine Mesa hosting at Gene Autry. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM. Catch all the action with live stats and the broadcast at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/benumesa/.
Roll Storm!
