By Nathaniel A. Lopez
The Ray baseball team collected three more wins this past week in games against San Manuel and Tempe Prep.
“Our boys stepped up this last week in a big way,” assistant coach Scott Warren began, “Great offensive performances up and down the lineup in all four games, highlighted by multiple homeruns by both Tracon Naranjo and Johnavon Pace.”
The first win came when the Bearcats hosted the San Manuel Miners. The boys took control of the game in the first inning, and continued to post runs for the innings that followed. The game ended with a 13-9 final score. Naranjo, Hunter Day and Jack Warren lead at the plate with 3 hits each. Hunter Day had 3 RBIs and Jack Warren had 2 RBIs. Warren and Day were both on the mound for the game – Day collecting 5 strikeouts and Warren collecting 11.
On Saturday, April 9, the Bearcats faced off with Tempe Prep for two games. The first game ended with the boys posting 14 runs and only giving up 1 run, making the final score 14-1. Naranjo and Jacob Barajas lead at the plate with 2 hits each. Pace had 4 RBIs, and Day and Jacob Barajas had 2 RBIs. Warren took the mound for this game, throwing a no-hitter.
The second game against Tempe Prep was a different game than the first. The Bearcats took a one-run lead in the first inning, but saw themselves trying to catch up in the third inning when Tempe Prep posted 3 runs. The fifth inning ended with the boys posting 1 run, closing the gap and only down by 1. The Bearcats continued to keep Tempe Prep from scoring any runs. In the seventh inning, the boys were able to get 2 runs through, putting them ahead by 1 run, ending the game with a close 4-3 victory. Naranjo once again lead at the plate with 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Naranjo also found himself on the mound during that game, pitching 4 strikeouts. Also on the mound was Isaac Dowler-Robles pitching 3 strikeouts.
“Through the games, both our veterans and our younger guys came up big in clutch spots at the plate and on the field,” added coach Warren, “This was a great week for us, as we started moving through our conference and region schedule. I’m really proud of how are guys are playing, and excited to see how they perform down the stretch.”
The Ray softball team suffered a tough loss against San Manuel, with a final score of 2-15.
Up next for the Bearcats: Wednesday, April 20, the boys and girls varsity teams will play Morenci. The boys will travel to Morenci and the Lady ‘Cats will host Morenci. Both games start at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 21, Ray will host Superior for 4 p.m. games.