Baseball: Williams Field runs winning streak to 9

March 22, 2019 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Williams Field coach Randy Clifford praises his team after its ninth win in a row on Friday after hard-fought triumph over Gilbert. (AzPreps365 photo).

A contribution here and a contribution there. That's been the way Williams Field's baseball team has rolled this season.

That mode continued Friday as the Blackhawks used a four-run, third inning as the impetus to a 7-5 victory over Gilbert in the 5A San Tan Region opener for both schools at Williams Field. The win was Williams Field's ninth in a row making its record 10-2 for the season and 5-2 in power-ranking games.

"For the most part its been nine guys pulling on the same side of the rope," Williams Field coach Randy Clifford said. "It hasn't always been pretty. But we've been able to learn from wins rather than losses."

Williams Field collected only four hits in the game, but three were in succession to kickoff a four-run rally in the third. Six different players delivered an RBI for the Blackhawks - Ty Amenta, Cole Tidd, Logan Hall, Talon Brown, Joel Vaught and Trey Washburn.

On the mounds it was a tag-team effort from starter Brown and reliever Ty Kott. Brown worked the first four innings and the primary culprit for him was walks. Brown issued five base on balls, two leading off the fourth when Gilbert began a rally from down 6-1. The Tigers cut the deficit to 6-3.

Kott's rough inning was the fifth. He gave up four hits, but left a pair of runners on getting a fielder's choice and routine fly out to left. He pitched around infield errors in the sixth and seventh protecting the two-run cushion that was the final score.

While defense wasn't always crisp for Williams Field, second baseman Armenta had a pair of assists and putout in the seventh to seal it. He ranged far into foul territory to snare a pop up for the second out of the seventh and ranged to his right an pivoted to nip Gilbert's Ryan Meyer at first for the final out.

Gilbert fell to 6-8-1 overall with the loss and is 5-3 in power-ranking games. It's three power-ranking losses have inlcuded a pair of one-run losses to Horizon and McClintock. The Tigers managed eight hits and the lone player in the game with multiple hits in ninth-place hitter Jacob Holdridge (2-for-4 and an RBI). Ryan Meyer, Nick Rehmer and Jay Evans added RBI for Gilbert.