Baseball: Basha takes pitcher's duel over Perry, 3-1

March 10, 2016 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Basha baseball coach Jim Schilling emphasized to his team as they huddled following a 3-1 victory over rival Perry on Thursday afternoon that he sees them buying in.

"This is a group of kids playing together, a lot of them who paid their dues on the bench last year," Schilling said. "Our philosophy is pitching, defense and timely hitting. That's what we got today."

Basha ran its record to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in power-ranking games. Schneider, one of three seniors targeted for most of the pitching when power-ranking games begin in earnest in about 10 days, kept Perry off-balance pretty much all day. The left-hander gave up four hits -- all singles -- in 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 10 and walked four.

Sophomore lefty Michael Perzan nailed down the win after allowing a single and hit batter that loaded the bases with two outs. He secured the final out with the help of a defensive gem by second baseman Tyler Riddle, who dove to his left to take away what likely would have been a game-tying single by Trevor Hauer. Hauer was the last hitter Schillng wanted to see at the plate with the bases juiced.

"He's a great player and heckuva hitter," Schilling said.

Proof of that was conferences on the mound two other times when Hauver was at bat with runners in scoring postiion. Hauver walked twice, fanned once and gave Basha brief anxiety with his final-out laser snared by Riddle.

But back to Schneider. His toughest inning was the first when Perry (5-3 overall, 2-1 -power-ranking games) put two runners on with one out. He was fortunate that frame that Hauer's long fly down the right-field line faded just foul. Schneider was quickly rewarded by his mates with two runs in the bottom of the first thanks to Gage Workman's RBI triple and Casey Legumina's RBI single.

Schneider ran with that lead, recording all of his strikeouts between the second and sixth innings. Basha picked up an insurance run in bottom of the fifth on Seth Beckstead's solo homer to dead center.  Beckstead was 2-2 with his other hit a double to left.

Earlier in the game Beckstead kept Basha in front with his arm when the left fielder nailed Hauver at home trying to score the tying run on a single by Cody Holtz.

Perry starter Bryson Wheatley was pretty good as well. The lanky right-hander gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts in losing his first decision of the season. Wheatley allowed only one run in 13 innings of work in his prior two starts. -- both victories. Basha's win over Perry was its first since 2013.