Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Joy Christian's 2A baseball second round playoff win Saturday morning was merely an extension of its' first round win.

Mistakes early put the #6 seed in a 6-2 hole against #11 Scottsdale Christian Friday afternoon at the Goodyear Ballpark complex. The Eagles (from Glendale) cut the deficit to 6-5, only to see the other Eagles score twice in the top of the sixth.

But Joy Christian batted around in the bottom of the sixth and took the lead for good on senior Nick Ayres' three-run inside-the-park home run. The Eagles then held on for a 10-8 win.

With the next game starting in about 17 hours, their bats did not have time to cool. Joy Christian (21-7) scored in all but one of the six innings of a 13-3 rout of #3 Bisbee (23-6). Junior Mason Rhynard led the way, going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.

"A lot of our guys are seeing the ball well and confident at the plate, so getting back at it right away is a good thing. They love to hit," Joy Christian coach Klent Corley said. "We gave them the option to get up early today and hit at Joy before we left and they all wanted to get up there and hit. Hitting is contagious. Its fun to see guys confident and eager to get in the box. They did against a really good pitcher and a good team so I hope that only adds to their confidence."

They will have cooled by the time the tournament resumes. Joy Christian plays its main rival, #7 Phoenix Christian (24-5) at 6:30 p.m. in the Goodyear complex.

While the team got within 8-6 in the sixth inning against Scottsdale Christian when junior Coby Longoria came home on a wild pitch, another deep playoff run looked unlikely until Ayres hit a deep drive with seniors Daniel Pellish and Hunter Lynch on base.

A Scottsdale Christian outfielder leaped in an attempt to make the catch but just missed. The ball rolled toward the wall and coaches were giving Ayres the windmill.

"I was just looking offspeed," said Ayres, who said that was his first inside-the-park home run. "The way he was going back I though he had it. As soon as it went over his glove I put my head down and ran for my life. I saw coach waving me in and I went with the Pete Rose slide into home. As soon as I popped up from that I knew we had it."

Mason Rhynard added insurance, muscling up  on an RBI double to the left field wall.

While it was all hands on deck after sophomore pitcher Ronan Kopp left late, it also was all hands on deck for the Eagles offense.

In the bottom of the fourth, Pellish hit an RBI double and sophomore Easton Rhynard drove in another with a well-placed ground ball. Senior Jake Pitner hit a one-out triple to the left-center power alley and scored on Kopp's sacrifice bunt.

Hours after his big hit, Ayres was on the mound against Bisbee.

He scattered eight hits across six innings, striking out seven.

"We felt pretty good about our game plan today on the mound and Nick really executed that game plan. With using two of our top guys last night to beat a good Scottsdale Christian team, we really needed a good outing from Nick. He gave us that by pounding the zone, throwing three pitches for strikes, and changing eye level," Corley said. "He is one of the more competitive kids I’ve ever coached so I am happy to see him be a huge part of getting us another week of baseball together."

As the coach alluded to, there is a unique bond on this team, which is quite unlike its predecessors. Joy Christian was a state semifinalist in 2015 and 2017 and a runner up in 2016.

Even though last year's team shockingly lost to Wilcox in the 2A semifinals - after entering the game with a 30-1 record - it seemed more a question of when the program won a state title, rather than if.

But five players transferred out of the small school program in the winter, most prominently pitcher Zach Martinez to Mountain Ridge. Roles changed overnight for many of the kids that stayed.

"Outside of teams that have had life-altering adversities with players or families, I don't think I've been around a team that's gone through as much stuff. I remember sitting with the four seniors and saying we were going to have to do something drastically different," Corley said. "Since then, guys knew that an outfielder was going to have to play shortstop and somebody new is going to have to catch. They all went through that adversity together so that helps with team chemistry and the fight that they're showing."

Only Ayres, at first base, had played any infield for the Eagles before this season. Freshman Josh Martinez is the catcher.

Ayres said all that uncertainty made this year's team close and this season's success more rewarding than the last two, which look better on paper.

"It is, honestly. Because we lost that much. Nobody gave up," Ayres said. "(The Scottsdale Christian win) was amazing. I got chills."

Joy Christian's Jake Pitner attempts to turn a double play against Scottsdale Christian on Friday, May 4, 2018 at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]