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1A State Baseball Runners-Up (still number 1 in our eyes).
There is a reason repeat championships are rare in sports.
For the sixth-seeded Superior baseball team that reason was No. 1 Bagdad and starting pitcher Israel Loveall.
The Sultans took advantage of a couple of errors by the Panthers that led to a five-run first inning, which was more than enough for the left-handed Loveall, who tossed a one-hit complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts in a 10 – 0 victory to win the 1A Baseball State Championship game at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Monday night.
“We came out young and a lot of our guys were in this atmosphere for the first time,” Superior head coach Manuel Ortega said afterwards. “We were very nervous early on and very stiff. That’s what led to those mishaps, just a lack of experience.”
The Panthers entered Monday’s game with a chance to defend the state title it won a year ago in addition to repeating history.
In 2007, both the Superior softball and baseball teams won state championships, and after the Pantherettes did their part last Monday night, it was the boys’ turn a week later.
Unfortunately, the result was not what the Panthers intended.
“Bagdad is the No. 1 team for a reason and with their ace on the mound, he was hard to hit,” Ortega said. “(Loveall) has had a good career and (the Sultans) showed why they’re the best team in 1A.”
Junior Gabriel Garcia notched the Panthers’ lone hit, a fifth-inning single.
Starting pitcher Kale Major fanned eight and pitched better than the final score would indicate.
Garcia, Major and Steven Ybarra are among a roster nary a senior that will return next year, looking to win another state championship.
“We’re coming back reloaded and stocked up,” Ybarra said to the Superior Sun. “Hopefully, we will be back with a spark next year.”
This year’s loss could prove to be a benefit down the road.
“This experience is going to help,” Ortega said. “I told them to remember this feeling, to eat it, think about, and let it motivate them in the offseason. If we work hard enough, we can be right back here holding up the other trophy.”
Despite the loss, the Panthers can find some solace in knowing they made this year’s state champion go through them to win it all.
“Our guys fought,” Ortega said. “No one believed in us, but we believed in each other and that’s all that matters. We wanted to get back to this title game because if someone was going to (dethrone) us, they had to do to in this game.”
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Superior in the 1A Baseball Championship Game.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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