Basic’s baseball team hit four home runs Wednesday, including three in a single inning.
But the biggest at-bat of the game might just have been a bunt by cleanup hitter Andruw Giles.
The Wolves trailed 4-2 at the time, and Giles was bunting to move the potential tying run into scoring position. His perfect bunt turned out to be an infield single to load the bases, and the Wolves went on to score 12 runs in the sixth inning to knock off visiting Faith Lutheran 14-4.
“He comes up unselfishly, and he put the bunt down and it was perfect, and that’s what just sparked the rest of the team,” Basic coach Gino DiMaria said.
Basic (16-5, 7-2 Class 5A Mountain League) looked to be on the ropes going to the bottom of the sixth trailing by two. But the Wolves sent 14 batters to the plate before the Crusaders could record three outs. Basic blasted three home runs and scored 12 times to end the game by the 10-run rule.
“One thing about Basic I’ve learned since I’ve been here is they are not going to quit,” DiMaria said.
No. 2 hitter Matthew Kelley started the rally with a line-drive single to right field. Tate Southisene then singled through the left side to bring up Giles. His perfect bunt inside the third-base line loaded the bases and, after a strikeout, sophomore Dallon Cegavske tied the game with a single through the left side of the infield.
Gabe Giron walked to reload the bases, and Faith Lutheran starter Cash Martin gave way to reliever Macen Collura.
Collura’s first pitch hit Ace Sapp to force home the go-ahead run. Collura then hit Koa Won to force home another run to make it 6-4, and a sacrifice fly by Troy Southisene pushed the lead to three runs.
Basic displayed its power next. Kelly drilled a three-run home to center field to put his team up 10-4 and chase Collura.
Tate Southisene gave reliever Connor Gries a rude welcome, crushing a 1-0 pitch for a line-drive homer to left field.
After singles by Giles and Lyndon Lee, Cegavske ended the game with a three-run blast to left-center field.
“When we got down 4-0, I’ll be honest with you, we had confidence,” DiMaria said. “We’ve been averaging seven runs a game, so we knew eventually hopefully our bats would pick up.”
The Wolves trailed 4-0 before a sacrifice fly by Lee got them on the board in the fourth. Sapp, who finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs as the No. 8 hitter, then cut Basic’s deficit to 4-2 in the fifth with a solo homer.
“Ace has been doing a really good job for us lately,” DiMaria said. “He came in trying to get familiar with our system, trying to feel it out a little bit. And boy, he’s starting to understand what we’re doing. And we like him in the eight hole. He does a good job for us there.”
Tate Southisene was 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI, while Giles was 3-for-4 with a run. Cegavske went 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs, and Kelley was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for Basic, which plays at Faith Lutheran (15-13, 6-3) on Friday.
“At the end of the day, this is a big game, but you know what, we’ve got to go to their place Friday. And then we’ve got two tough games at Green Valley,” DiMaria said. “So we’re going to celebrate a little today and tomorrow we’re going to grind at practice. And then we’ve got to go to their place and there has to be a short memory. It has to be forgotten and we’ve just got to start all over again.”
Collura was 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Nate Keyes and Rouselle Shepard each added two hits for the Crusaders.
