By Nathaniel A. Lopez
On April 12, the Hayden-Ray rivalry was once again put to the test when the Hayden baseball and softball team hosted Ray.
The softball game began with a 1-1 first inning. The score remained unchanged for the second and third innings. The fourth inning saw the Lady Lobos gain a 1-run lead. The Lady ‘Cats started the fifth inning by scoring 1 run; but Hayden’s response to that was to score 7 runs. Ray spent the last two innings trying to catch up, but were only able to post 3 additional runs. The game ended with a final score of 9-5.
The boys baseball game also began with a 1-1 first inning. The Lobos were able to start creating their score gap in the second inning, posting 6 runs, while the Bearcats were unable to score. During the third inning, Ray was able to get 3 runs, but Hayden kept a strong score gap, scoring 4 runs. The fourth inning began with the Bearcats being unable to score, and the Lobos adding 1 more run to their score. No runs were scored in the fifth inning. Ray was able to secure 3 runs in the sixth inning, but were still behind by 5 runs. The Lobos ended the game by scoring 5 runs in the sixth inning, making the final score 17-7.
While those games ended the Bearcats’ and Lady Bearcats’ week of games, Hayden still had a couple more games to play for the week.
The Lady Lobos found a win on April 13 against NFL Yet Academy, with a 24-1 final score. On April 16, the Lobos and Lady Lobos traveled to compete against Mogollon. Both teams suffered losses against Mogollon. The final score to the girls’ game was 6-16, and a close 7-8 for the boys’ team.
Up next for Hayden: On Wednesday, April 20, the boys head to McQueen Park in Mesa for a 4 p.m. game against Lincoln Prep. On Friday, April 22, the Lady Lobos will be in Gilbert for a 3 p.m. game against Leading Edge Academy. On Saturday, April 23, the JV boys will host the St. David Tigers at 3 p.m.
Up next for Ray: On Wednesday, April 20, the Ray Bearcats will travel to Morenci for a 4 p.m. game; the Lady ‘Cats will host Morenci at the same time. On Thursday, April 21, Ray will host Superior for 4 p.m. games. On Saturday, April 23, the Bearcats travel to Baboquivari for a double-header at 1 and 3 p.m. On Monday, April 25, the Lady ‘Cats will host St. John Paul II Lions for a 3:45 p.m. game. On Tuesday, April 26, Ray hosts Leading Edge Academy-Gilbert (softball) and Lincoln Prep (baseball) for 4 p.m. games.