The Park University Gilbert baseball team dropped a double header to Benedictine Mesa this afternoon at Mesa High School, dropping the first contest 25-13 and the second game 7-4.

Game 1 – Benedictine Mesa 25 Park Gilbert 13

On any other day, Park Gilbert's 13 runs might have been enough to secure a victory, but today, it would not have even been enough to outscore the Redhawks in the fourth inning.

The Buccaneers entered the fourth innings with a 3-2 lead before the Redhawks exploded for 16 runs in the fourth inning. The most runs a Buccaneer teams has allowed in any one inning in its history. Of the 16 runs, 15 were earned.

The Buccaneers have made some miraculous comebacks in the past, including one against BENU in 2021 where they overcame a 16-4 deficit to win 19-17. That game entailed BENU posting a 10-run inning before the Bucs comeback. This time the deficit would be too great although the Bucs made a valiant effort to make the game competitive.

Jesh Leckey (4 RBI) and Eric Rojo (3 hits) led the offensive charge and Christian LaPierre drove in three runs in a pinch hitting role.

 Game 2- Benedictine Mesa 7, Park Gilbert 4

A pitchers duel highlighted game two, as Bucs hurler Hayden King only allowed one run through the first five innings, but the Buc bats were also silenced and the score was 1-0 through five.

Park tied the game in sixth at 1-1, but the Redhawks caught up to King in the sixth and knocked him out of the game, scoring five runs against the junior right hander in the penultimate inning.

The Redhawks would add two against reliver Sunny Patel in the sixth to give BENU a 7-1 lead heading into the final inning.

Once again the "Battlin' Bucs" made a game of if in the seventh as Andrew Allanson would hit a three-run triple to cut the deficit to three, but that would be all the Bucs could muster as the game ended in the 7-4 loss.

These two teams will meet once again tomorrow, March 22 at Mesa High School for another double header starting at 11 a.m.