The Park University Gilbert baseball team used timely hitting to sweep a double header from Providence Christian this afternoon 7-6 and 8-6 to snap an eight-game losing streak and even its Cal Pac Conference record at 4-4. The Bucs move to 5=15 overall on the season. Providence Christian falls to 4-22, 0-8.
Game 1 – Park Gilbert 7, Providence Christian 6
A 10th inning RBI single by Alex Stinnett lifted the Buccaneers to a 7-6 extra innings victory over Providence Christian. The win snapped the Buccaneers eight-game losing skid.
Park Gilbert jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on an Austin Chouinard double. The Seabeggars answered in the bottom of the second with a four spot, three of them coming on a controversial three-run home run. Both Buccaneers starting pitcher Nick Marcon and head coach Kelly Stinnett argued the home run ball was foul but to no avail as the home plate umpire upheld the call.
The Bucs cut the lead to one as Chouinard drove in another run, this time with an RBI single to score courtesy runner Chris Amador. PCC added what it thought was an insurance run in the eighth with a home run off of Bucs reliever Connor Barton. But Chouinard had another answer in the ninth, as he blasted a three-run go ahead home run to give the Buccos a one-run advantage. The homer game Chouinard six RBI's on the day. Chouinard's six RBI's are a career high and is one off the school record of seven.
Jose Zubia came on in the ninth to close things out, but he blew his first save opportunity on the year, giving up a lead off single, followed by a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. Then an RBI single scored the runner to tie the game and send it to extra frames.
Park Gilbert has played in two extra inning games this season, winning in 10 against Ottawa (Ariz.) and losing in 12 to British Columbia. Aaron Lizarraga led things off reaching first on an error, then advanced to second on another error off the bat of Joel Adamson. After a fielder's choice but runners on the corners with two out. Alex Stinnett singled to score Lizarraga and once again put the Bucs up by a run.
This time Zubia was able to close things out with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the 10th and the Bucs picked up their third conference win and snap their eight-game losing streak.
Game 2 – Park Gilbert 8, Providence Christian 6
The Buccaneers fell behind early, but behind strong relief performances from Frank Racioppo, Luke Turner and Aaron Gutierrez, Park Gilbert was able to come from behind to sweep the double header with an 8-6 game two triumph.
The Seabeggars jumped out to a 3-0 lead off of Buccaneers starter Luke Richards in the second, as three walks and a single chased the left hander with two outs in the second stanza.
Park Gilbert slowly worked their way back starting with an answer in the top of the third. A PCC error got things started and when DJ Downen was plunked with a pitch, the Bucs and two runners on. A walk to Joey Martinez loaded the bases and Julian Garcia Schroeder drove in the first run with an RBI knock. Diego Bejarano got the second run in with a ground out and the deficit had been trimmed to one.
The Buccaneers tied things in the very next inning as Logan Livingston singled to start things and advanced to third behind a pair of Seabeggar errors. Aaron Stinnett drove Livingston home with a single.
The Bucs then gifted the lead back to PCC as a Livingston error with two outs allowed the go ahead run to score for the Seabeggars.
The Bucs responded with two in the fifth and two in the sixth as a Chouinard single and an Alex Stinnett walk plated two in the fifth and a wild pitch and a Livingston sacrifice fly got two more home in the sixth,
Turner ran into trouble in the seventh, allowing two runs as he struggled with control to let PCC back in the game. Aaron Gutierrez came on to get the last out in the seventh.
Park Gilbert added an insurance run in the top of the eighth as Garcia Schroeder singled, stole second and scored on RBI single by Chris Amador who entered the game in the seventh as a defensive replacement.
Then it all fell on Gutierrez, who has been dominant, not allowing an eared run all season. He threw a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to pick up his second save on the season has he threw the last 2.2 innings to secure the victory for the Buccaneers.
Frank Racioppo picks up his first win on the season in relief of Richards, throwing 3.1 innings allowing only one run.
The Bucs conclude their series with PCC tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. as Joseph Chavira will look to pitch the Buccaneers to a series sweep.
