Rams win 3rd straight, outscore Tucson Empire 11-9

A two-run triple in the top of the seventh made the difference for the Maricopa High baseball team Wednesday, which won 11-9 against the Empire High Ravens.

With two outs in the seventh, Joe Zabawa crushed a ball, bringing in two runners and increasing the Rams lead to 11-5. The two runs would prove critical when errors allowed the Ravens to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh, resulting in the final score of 11-9.

“We played a good game,” Coach Steven Pappas said. “But we made a few errors that let them back in (the game) a couple times.”

Maricopa led early, scoring in the first, second and third innings to make the score 4-0. But in the bottom of the third the Ravens scored five runs to take the lead.

The lead proved to be short-lived when Maricopa scored another run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 5. The Rams would not trail the rest of the game.

Pitcher Lionel Iglesias was once again strong on both offense and defense, striking out four batters and getting three hits in the game. A home run by Kie Zabawa was also a highlight offensively.

The win is the third straight for the Rams, a great improvement from the beginning of the season when Maricopa lost its first four games.

“It was a slow start,” Coach Pappas said. “Then we had a couple games that built the players confidence and helped them to get a sense of what they could do.”

Now 4-1 in league play, the Rams are in first place in the 2A West region. Their next game is Friday against Collegiate High from New York.

If you go:
What: Maricopa High Baseball vs. Collegiate High
When: 4 p.m. Friday, April 6
Where: Matt Huffman Field
Cost: Free