COOLIDGE — The game between the Coolidge Bears and the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils was a testament to how quickly momentum can shift in a baseball game.
Through the first five innings, the Bears could barely get a runner into scoring position, let alone put a run on the board. However, after the team settled in toward the end of the game, their patience was rewarded, stealing a late lead and the 2-1 win over their rival.
Senior Anthony Ruvalcaba took to the mound for the Bears but quickly found himself in trouble. Unable to find his command of the strike zone, the pitcher walked two batters, with one of them scoring after Revalcaba attempted to keep the lead runner at third, but lost control of the ball, allowing the runner to cross home.
Ultimately, that lone mistake would be the only run scored throughout the majority of the game.
Ruvalcaba locked in mentally and put in a stellar performance on the mound, keeping the Dust Devil offense stagnant while striking out 11 batters in the process.
“It was really encouraging,” Coolidge head coach Justin Rico said about Ruvalcaba’s performance. “It’s a good feeling as a head coach that going forward, we know that he can settle in. He is a very mature player, so whenever he gets in trouble, he knows he can settle in. With him being one of the only upperclassmen on the team, you know he is going to give you everything he has for the entirety of the game.”
On the other side of the diamond, the Dust Devils also had great pitching, with Daniel Contreras showing that he will become a big piece for the team going forward.
The freshman played a huge role in the Dust Devils’ lead for a majority of the game, striking out eight batters and not allowing a hit until the fourth inning.
As the two teams battled throughout the game, the Bears eventually started taking a more patient approach at the plate, drawing walks and forcing Contreras to work for his outs.
In the bottom of the sixth, while still down by just one run, the Bears finally put it all together. After a walk and a hit put two men on base, sophomore Aiden Felix stepped up to the plate.
With two outs in the inning, the Bears got the clutch hit they needed, Felix smashed the ball to right field for a two-run triple, giving his team the lead late in the game.
Needing three outs to seal the victory, Rico gave his senior starting pitcher the opportunity to finish out the game. Ruvalcaba made quick work of the Dust Devils, striking out the side and completing the come-from-behind win.
“I knew as soon as that ball was hit, we were scoring two,” Rico said about Felix’s game-winning hit. “Aidan showed up on third base like he was supposed to and came up with a big hit in a big moment.”
For the Dust Devils, while the team hoped to hold on and win the game, assistant coach Jesus Montijo said he was very encouraged by the performance of his young squad, saying that the team should be proud of the fight they displayed in the game.
“They played with a lot of heart today, it was just that one hit that beat us,” he said. “We have a bright future, we haven’t had a winning season in seven years, but we are on the right path going forward with this young group. I’m not worried.”
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