Plus, scores from around the Foothill League
After the Vikings took a 7-2 lead in the second inning, Valencia looked poised to win big and take the series win over the Hawks at Hart High School on Friday.
But after a Hayden Rhodes home run in the fifth inning, and a Josh Whitson bases-clearing double in the sixth, the Hawks took the narrow lead over Valencia and held out for the 15-14 win.
“[Valencia] is a good team. They’re a good team, and it was a good series, a back-and-forth series and truthfully, to come out on top means a lot,” Hart head coach Brad Meza said.
After the game, Meza said the win felt rewarding as both teams settled for a tie in the series opener that left the Hawks (6-7-1, 3-0-1) frustrated.
Meza added the win helps put his Hawks in a good position in the Foothill League title race as Hart is 3-0-1 in league play.
“When you’re grinding every inning, scoring every inning and putting together good at bats, it means even more,” he said.
In the third inning, the Hawks trailed 7-2 to the Vikings (5-7-1, 0-1-1), and after a three-spot in the third, the Hawks began to come back.
After the teams traded shots back-and-forth in the fourth in fifth innings, Rhodes’ three-run home run finally brought the Hawks their first lead of the game. And in the sixth inning, Whitson hit a bases-clearing double to extend the Hawks’ lead to 15-10.
With a five-run lead, the Hawks looked poised to take the victory at home and with Rhodes on the mound, Meza felt good about his team’s odds to close out the game.
But in the top of the seventh, the Vikings rallied and scored four runs to cut the Hawks’ lead to 15-14. The rally was highlighted off a Vikings’ Santino Cascione two-run single.
With the tying run 90 feet away at third base, Meza sent out his pitching coach to check in on Rhodes and felt confident in his pitcher that he had what it took to get the final out.
“In the conversation I had with the pitching coach when he came back, Rhodes said ‘he wants it and wants to get it done,’” he said. “So, he did it for his family. He did it for his boys.”
Rhodes secured the final out off a fly-out to left field, and the Hawks secured the win at home. Rhodes ended the day with the save on the mound and went 1-for-4 at the plate with three runs batted in.
The Vikings were led by Justin Gaisford, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and five runs batted in.
The Vikings will look to bounce back at home on Wednesday at Saugus High School against the Centurions with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The Hawks resume league play on Wednesday, March 31, at home against the Golden Valley Grizzlies.
After Friday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Castaic 4, West Ranch 3: After the West Ranch Wildcats (5-9, 3-1) secured the win in the series opener on Wednesday, the Castaic Coyotes (7-6, 2-2) rebounded with a victory on Friday.
For Castaic, junior Uriah Ruffner hit a home run and went 1-for-3 at the plate in the win.
The Wildcats were led by Josh Price, who went 2-for-2, hit a double and was joined by Adrian Rivera who went 1-for-3 with a run batted in.
The Coyotes will look to build upon their momentum in their next game against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley High School on Wednesday while the Wildcats return home for a matchup against the Canyon Cowboys.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Saugus 10, Canyon 3: The Saugus Centurions (7-6, 3-1) defeated the Canyon Cowboys (5-6, 0-4) and secured the series sweep.
For Saugus, both Matt Long and Abraham Ramirez homered in the win to lead their Centurions to victory.
The Cowboys were led by Ryder Brown and went 1-for-3 at the plate with one run batted in.
Canyon will look to bounce back on Wednesday against the Wildcats at West Ranch High School while the Centurions face the Vikings at Valencia High School.
Both games are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
