Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona salvaged the final game of the three-game series with the San Diego Padres 11-4 today at Chase Field, thanks to home runs from Katel Marte and Joc Pederson.
The Diamondbacks finish 2-4 on their latest homestand, losing two of three to the LA Dodgers and two out of three to the Padres. They sit at 15-20 as they head for Cincinnati and a three-game series with the Reds, followed by a three-game series in Baltimore with the Orioles.
Arizona Wildcats Baseball
Arizona( 29-17) beat Stanford 7-2 today at Hi Corbett Field to sweep the three-game series with the Cardinal and maintained its two-game hold of first place in the PAC 12 Conference with a 17-7 record.
The Wildcats turned a 2-1 deficit into a six-run sixth inning, highlighted by a 3-run double from Brendan Summerhill.
Cam Walty pitched seven solid innings for the win and improved to 7-1. Walty’s performance followed Clark Candiotti’s masterpiece on Saturday night when he hurled a 5-0 shutout and pitched all nine innings to beat Stanford.
Photo: The first pitch today from Arizona starter Cam Walty at Hi Corbett Field. The Wildcats won 7-2 to sweep the three/game series with the Cardinal.
Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)
60-and-over baseball
Joe "Big O" Opocensky edged out Tim Tolson, Phil Ahern, and Ernesto Escala for the most hits for April on the Tucson Old Timers.
Opocensky went 24 for 35 and maintained a .686 batting average. He led the club in RBI with 19 and scored 14 runs.
Tolson finished second in RBI with 18 and batted .595, collecting 22 hits in 37 at-bats.
Ahern, the Minnesota Kid, also had a great April, going 21 for 31 in just nine of the 11 games for a hefty batting average of .677, while Escala went 19 for 28, drove in 13 runs, and finished the month with a .679 batting average.
Jon Beady hit the only triple for the month while collecting 17 hits in 28 at-bats, a .607 average. He led the club in runs scored with 17.
David Byars and Mike Steele led the 75-and-over hitters for April. Byars went 10 for 34, a .294 average, while Steele collected nine hits in 20 at-bats, a .450 average.
On the mound, Opocensky led the TOTS in innings pitched (33), recorded 10 strikeouts, and finished the month with a 2-2 record.
As a club, the TOTS scattered 291 hits around the confines of Udall Park and maintained an overall batting average of .418.
Way to go, TOTS!
Photo: Joe Opocensky, who led the TOTS in hitting and pitching for the month of April.
Arizona Baseball
Arizona Diamondbacks (14-17)
The Arizona Diamondbacks (14-17) grapple with injuries, lack of timely hitting, and pitching woes. With April in the books, the team urgently needs some wins to turn the tide in their favor.
The Diamondbacks will close out their three-game series with the LA Dodgers tonight at Chase Field.
Arizona managed to pull out a 4-3 win over the first-place Dodgers to even the series last night at Chase Field thanks to a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning from Christian Walker, who finished the night with two homers and three RBI.
And the game had its moments. First, they had to battle a swarm of bees behind home plate and a two-hour delay. But they survived. The Diamondbacks, that is, not the Bees.
Arizona Wildcats (26-17, 14-7 Pac-12)
Last night, at Hi Corbett Field, Arizona faced a tough challenge as the Grand Canyon Antelopes teed off on the Wildcats' bullpen corps for 23 hits and a surprising 24-8 win. The Wildcats saved their top-of-the-line pitchers for this weekend's three-game Pac-12 series at Hi Corbett against the Stanford Cardinal.
Arizona is now tied for first place in the Pac-12 Conference with Utah. Both teams are 14-7. The Wildcats need a sweep of Stanford and a win at Arizona State next Tuesday before they head to Salt Lake City and a crucial three-game series with the Utes.
Photo: Last night's first pitch at Hi Corbett Field. The game did not go Arizona's way as the Grand Canyon Antelopes won, 24-8.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (11-12) continue to claw their way back to the .500 mark, winning and losing some. They head for St. Louis and a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The Cardinals are having their own troubles and find themselves in last place in the NL Central with a 9-13 record.
Arizona is in third place in the NL West behind the LA Dodgers (13-11) and the San Diego Padres (12-12) but remains just 1 1/2 games back of Shohei Ohtani and Company.
Ketel Marte leads the Diamondbacks with a .330 batting average. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Marte are tied in home runs with five apiece, while Gurriel Jr. leads the club in RBI with 21.
Arizona Wildcats Baseball
The Wildcats, who are becoming known lately as the Walk-off Wildcats may have their sights set on this weekend's three-game series in Seattle against Pac-12 Conference foe, the Washington Huskies. After all, Arizona has collected six walk-off wins this season, all of them coming in its last 10 home games and the Wildcats now sit atop the conference standings ahead of everyone.
Arizona can garner another series win in Seattle and better yet a sweep would be even better and allow them to remain the top dog in the conference heading into May.
The Wildcats' last sweep and last walk-off win occurred on Sunday at Hi Corbett when the hard-hitting Mason White singled in the game-winner against Washington State in the 11th inning for an 8-7 win.
Brendan Summerhill continues to lead the Wildcats in hitting with a .366 batting average (56 for 153 in 37 games), while White's 13 homers and 49 RBI leads the way in the power department. Cam Walty (6-1, 2.55 ERA), Clark Candiotti (4-1, 3.34 ERA), and Jackson Kent (3-1, 2.64 ERA) continue to be the top three main starters for the Wildcats.
Way to go, Wildcats! Go, get 'em in Las Cruces and Seattle.
I have spent eight decades in and out of dugouts.
Yes, the world has changed.
My advice to the young ballplayer out there with a Louisville Slugger draped over his or her shoulder:
Keep swinging! Stay between the lines. Stay focused. Give it your all. Await every pitch thrown at you. Smile. Take your cuts and remember if at first, you don't succeed, you'll have another at-bat, and when you connect at the plate and in life you will be so proud of yourself.
Don't do this...
Do this...
