The 2^nd Annual GARB Athletics/OC Sports Southern Arizona High School All-Star Series presented by the Kino Baseball League continued Thursday night at Catalina Foothills High School.

About three dozen baseball standouts from Southern Arizona took part in the Division II futures game with Team Teal scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Team Copper 6-5.  Catalina Foothills head coach Jim Baldwin led Team Teal and Tucson assistant coach George Arias was in charge of Team Copper.

Team Copper took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to three straight singles to start the game off followed by a groundout by Buena standout Joshua Caputo that brought in leadoff batter Stan Berryhill of Mountain View.

Teal scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning on RBIs from Jarod Shilt (Buena) and Jake Adams (Sahuaro).  Adams scored the third run after Jacob Allen (Ironwood Ridge) got in a rundown between first and second base long enough for Adams to scamper home from third.

Copper returned the favor in the top of the fifth with Kyle Emmendorfer (Rincon/University) taking home on a double steal after Berryhill took off for second base after reaching on an infield hit. Emmendorfer also scored in the third on a wild pitch.

Berryhill went 3-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases to pace the Copper offense. Berryhill finished his junior season on a bit of a hot streak, collecting 20 hits in his last 11 games. He also had a nine game hit streak going heading into the Division II state playoffs, the first trip to the post season in his career at Mountain View.

“Everything was good tonight,” Berryhill said. “I just tried to hit in the gap and I had a green light to steal when I got on base.”

As for his team’s run to the playoffs, Berryhill was glad to be a part of it.

“It was a good felling because we were always so close,” he added. “Even at the end of the year we were in then out then in again. It was exciting.”

Copper took a 4-3 lead in the sixth after Martin Dakota reached on a double and Stockton Pringle (Sahuaro) singled in the run later in the inning. Berryhill scored in the top of the seventh to give Copper a 5-3 lead but Teal got that run back in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI double from Efrain Cervantes (Salpointe). It was the second double of the game for Cervantes.

Down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Sam Alberts (Catalina Foothills) gave Team Teal a fighting chance with a leadoff single. He stole second base on a strikeout and Adams scored him on a hit to the outfield. Adams took second on the throw home and then took third base on a bobbled catch.

The score was now 5-5 and Joey Molina (Sunnyside) put the ball in play and Adams beat the throw home for the 6-5 win.

“It was a sorry way to win but it worked,” Molina explained. “The end got competitive with the dugout picking each other up. It was fun early on but by the sixth we knew what we had to do and the big hitters cane through at the end.”

 

REMAINING SCHEDULE:

Friday, June 3

Division III-V Futures: Catalina Foothills High School, 7 p.m.