Garrett Otto
ASU Student Journalist

Baseball: Shadow Mountain defeats Alhambra 8-6

March 15, 2018 by Garrett Otto, Arizona State University


The Shadow Mountain Matadors defeated the Alhambra Lions 8-6 in Thursday afternoon baseball in Phoenix. The Matadors move to 10-3 on the season while the Lions fall to 6-5.

The game was close early, with the teams trading runs in the second and third innings, leaving the game at 2-2 in the top of the 4th. Shadow Mountain broke open the game with three runs in the bottom of the inning, partially thanks to two bases-loaded walks. “We had some late rallies, which is great,” said Matadors Coach Jon Pulli.

Lions senior Rafael Quijada started the game for the Lions, going three innings and giving up just two runs before being replaced. “He really just does all the little things well,” said Lions Coach Shea Clark. His replacement was one of four pitching changes Alhambra made in the fourth inning.

Junior Jonathon Gayton provided what would ultimately be the winning runs with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth, giving Shadow Mountain an 8-4 lead. Gayton finished the day 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.

After a quick sixth inning, the Lions came out strong in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs. Matadors senior pitcher Trevor Jones was able to work through the jam, allowing just two runs to score before he closed out the game.

Jones pitched four innings, allowing four runs but earned the win. Jones said he felt he just needed to “pitch to contact and trust my defense,” when it came to closing out the game. “Trevor is the kind of guy that just doesn’t get rattled, he just gets the job done,” said Pulli.

The win was the Matadors second of the day, coming after they defeated Sierra Linda in an early morning game. Both games were a part of the Westview Spring Break Invitational. The team now carries a five-game winning streak.

Clark noted his team's determination despite falling behind multiple times. “We kept playing, kept battling back, we just ran out of gas at the end there," he said. Clark stressed composure to his players in the late innings. “We wanted to have quality at-bats and make sure we’re seeing the ball.”

The mid-day game was out of the ordinary for the schools, even giving maintenance some trouble as the sprinklers went off in the second inning, causing a short delay.

Lions senior Manuel Quijada made a spectacular play in left field to end the second inning, tracking and diving for a well hit ball by Matador Colten McIntosh. The catch also saved what would have been at least one run, keeping the game tied at 1.

The Matadors were fortunate to use just two pitchers throughout the game, with sophomore Dawson Davis pitching two innings before Jones came in. This was Shadow Mountain’s third game of the invitational, after they played one Wednesday.

Alhambra will look to bounce back off of the loss when the Lions travel to face the North Mustangs Monday afternoon.

Shadow Mountain will continue the tournament tomorrow against an opponent that is to be determined.  Jones spoke about the team using the tournament to help them in the future. “We want to keep this win streak going, and ride that momentum into the regular season games," Jones said.