Hamilton's J.D. McLaughlin fouls off a pitch from Pinnacle's Mason Gray in the 5th inning. (AzPreps365 photo)

The schools that played for the 6A baseball title last year -- defending champion Hamilton and runner-up Pinnacle -- battled each other for supremacy again on Wednesday at Hamilton High. After two hours and 20 minutes on a warm, overcast afternoon the winner was Mother Nature.

Umpires notified both coaches after Hamilton managed to tie the game at 4 after seven innings they were stopping the game. The dingy sky and impending darkness didn't make for a proper finish. The game will be continued at a later date the teams agree to in the top of the eighth inning.

Cody Hedalen lofted a sacrifice fly to left to score pinch-runner Brock Selvidge with the tying run. A couple pitches earlier one of the game's key plays took place as Pinnacle flashed its throwing arms.

With Pinnacle (4-2-1, 2-0-1 power-ranking games) protecting a 4-3 lead with one out and a runner on first, Hamilton's Kyle Hasler ( 2 for 3, 2 RBI) singled to right. Hamilton coach Mike Woods waived his runner to third from the third-base coaching box and swallowed hard as Selvidge angled toward the bag. Pinnacle right fielder Zack Hull unleashed the perfect throw. If you were a Pinnacle fan, you thought you'd seen the second fine defensive play of the inning. The call at third, however, was safe. Even though the ball got to third base before the runner, the ruling was Selvidge evaded the tag.

Woods, who had a pretty good view from the coaching box, thought the call was correct.

"I nearly ran us out of the inning at second and third," Woods said. "When they were warming up I noticed a couple of their outfielders had really good arms. I got too aggressive."

Hamilton opened the bottom of the seventh with cleanup hitter J.D. McLaughlin drawing a walk off reliever Ty Woessner, who was working his second inning after taking over for starter Mason Gray. McLaughlin attempted to steal second, but Pinnacle catcher Trey Newman was not having it. He threw a strike to second baseman Nolan Brooks to nail McLaughlin. 

The Achilles heel for Pinnacle were walks. Hayden Baker followed the caught stealing with the ninth walk of the game issued by he and Gray (seven walks).

"To walk nine guys in a game and still be in it with a team like Hamilton, we must be doing something right," Pinnacle coach Roy Muller said. "It was a great game with two teams playing hard."

Gray, normally brings outstanding control. He wasn't missing by much even though he threw eight consective balls to begin the game. In the first inning he issued four walks and Hamilton took a 1-0 lead with Hasler getting the RBI walk. Gray threw 31 pitches in the first inning, but managed to make it through five innings with just under 100 pitches. He allowed one run after the first inning. All four Hamilton runners that scored reached on walks. Gray walked only two batters in his two starts prior to Wednesday. 

"Mason grinded when he had to," Muller said. "He managed to keep his composure, and kept us in the game."

Leading Pinnacle offensively were leadoff hitter Jacob Ferguson with two hits, including a two-run single in the fourth inning that at the time snapped a 2-2 tie.C.J. Schauwecker and Newman each added a pair of doubles with Schauwecker driving in one run. Hamilton leadoff hitter Easton Erwin walked twice and doubled and Baker had two walks and a single. Dustin Bermudez collected Hamilton's other RBI in the sixth inning. Hamilton starter Shane Murphy had a decent start with the third and fourth innings his rough spot. He allowed two runs in each inning and five of the seven hits he allowed for his five innings of work. Reliever Tyler Dubuque finished up with two scoreless innings.