One down, seven to go.
The Coronado All-Star Juniors resurrected themselves from the abyss once again, coming back to beat Pine Top’s Blue Ridge squad 9-5 during a three-hour slog last night at Mesa’s Fitch Park.
Pine Top’s hitters worked Coronado clear back to the 400-foot center field fence for a 5-0 lead heading into bottom of the sixth inning, at the Chicago Cubs’ spring training home.
But catcher Andres Castel de Oro sparked Coronado’s rally with a single up center field, scoring soon after, according to team reports.
Four more runs led to a Pine Top’s first pitching change, the score tied at five. Pine Top eventually expended five pitchers as Coronado notched four more runs to finish the inning at 9-5.
“You could see their coach say, ‘How did that happen?” Coronado manager Paul Dunn wrote in an e-mail Thursday, July 17.
With two outs at the top of the seventh, Pine Top stuck pinch speedsters on second and first.
Coronado coaches called for the pick-off at first, but pitcher Jared DuBois swiveled and tossed to second — where Camden Beuchler made the tag and ended the game.
“The crowd still chanted ‘Coronado!’ for a few minutes,” Dunn wrote.
Coronado’s 13- and 14-year-olds face Mt. Graham in the next of eight games, Friday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m.
