Usually a team surrendering eight walks while its foe gives up none ends up on the short end of the scoreboard. Not Tuesday for Chaparral in its 8-3 victory over Brophy Prep in a Division I game at Chaparral's Jerry Dawson Field. Chaparral has won eight of its last 10 games.

Chaparral managed to sidestep the bulk of its free passes issued, substituting strikeouts and balanced offense in defeating the visitors from downtown Phoenix.  Chaparral senior left-hander Alex Segal mixed and matched strikeouts and walks effectively over five scoreless innings to pick up a much-needed win for the Firebirds. Chaparral absorbed a tough 3-1 loss to Pinnacle over the weekend. That loss kept Chaparral in the middle of the D-I power-ranking pack (30 teams are in D-I) with Brophy and others. Chaparral (16-4, 6-3 power-ranking games) entered play Tuesday at #13 and Brophy (10-10, 5-5 prg) was #15.

Segal fanned the maximum nine and walked four over the first three innings while a solo homer by Jacob Gonzalez and Segal's double helped Chaparral to a 3-0 lead through three innings. Segal left after five innings with a 6-0 lead, allowing only two hits. He finished with 11 strikeouts, five walks and a pitch-count give or take one or two around 100. 

Eight of Chaparral's nine starters had a hit with Drew Wayland and Griffin Hampton collecting two each. Wayland drove in two runs in the fourth with a single and Ian McMillan doubled in two in the sixth. Dylan Cole ang Gianni Tomasi had  RBI singles in the third and fourth, respectively, for the Firebirds.

It was a day Brophy did little to help its cause. Despite the eight walks the Broncos received, they didn't take advantage until two were out in the top of the seventh when they trailed 8-0. A three-run double by Mitchell Anderson off the glove of centerfielder Cole plated three runs -- all of whom reached via walks.

 Brophy also committed four errors behind starter Jeff Rula, who easily could have been  in the thick of things (1-0 or 2-0 deficit) through four innnings. Rula allowed six runs, one earned in four innings. The earned tally was Gonzalez's first-pitch homer to left to begin the Chaparral second. Rula threw a one-hitter in his previous start, a 2-0 win over Skyline.