It is officially baseball season in Maricopa as the city hosted the annual Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run competition on Wednesday.
The wind was howling and the temperature kept dropping, but nothing was going to stop the young baseball and softball enthusiasts of Maricopa from competing in the Pitch, Hit and Run competition at Copper Sky Recreation Complex Wednesday night. Young athletes ranging from 7 to 13 years old came in high numbers to compete in the annual skills competition.
Parents were able to take their mind off of tax day as they watched their kids compete in pitching accuracy, base-running speed, and hitting distance. The athletes were split into four age groups (7-8 year olds, 9-10 year olds, 11-12 year olds, and 13-14 year olds), and each group had their own awards.
Participants were able to win an award for pitching champion, hitting champion, and running champion. The all-around champion was decided by the amount of points each participant earned across all aspects of the competition.
After the scores were tallied, a few athletes stood out and won in multiple categories. However, 21 participants received awards.
7 and 8 year old girls:
– All Around: Olivia O'Dell
– Hitting: Olivia O'Dell
– Running: Tiffany Ortiz
*No winner for the pitching competition
7 and 8 year old boys:
– All Around: Brayden Hill
– Pitching: (Tie) Shaun Powers, Brayden Hill and Sein Suchite
– Hitting: Diego Diaz
– Running: Brayden Hill
9 and 10 year old girls:
– All Around: Emma Etzel
– Pitching: Tie between Emma Etzel, Alyssa Etzel
– Hitting: Emma Etzel
– Running: Jessica Taylor
9 and 10 year old boys:
– All Around: Christian Compian
– Pitching: Christian Compian
– Hitting: Gavin Smith
– Running: Gavin Smith
11 and 12 year old girls:
– All Around: Zeya Suchite
– Pitching: Zeya Suchite
– Hitting: Alexis Ortiz
– Running: Zeya Suchite
11 and 12 year old boys:
– All Around: Tyler Damron
– Pitching: Tyler Damron
– Hitting: Gannon Jaeger
– Running: Curtis Manges
13 and 14 year old girls:
– All Around: Daisy Guzman
– Pitching: Ariana Reinbold-Rodriguez
– Hitting: Daisy Guzman
– Running: Daisy Guzman
***ADVERTISEMENT***13 and 14 year old boys:
– All Around: Brett Hogan
– Pitching: Bodin Lay
– Hitting: Brett Hogan
– Running: Parker Hunsaker
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