The Tucson Saguaros overcame a late one-run deficit by scoring four times in the eighth inning and held on to top the San Rafael Pacifics, 16-13, Sunday night at Kino Stadium, tying the Pecos League best-of-three championship series at one win apiece.
The final game between Tucson (48-10) and San Rafael (35-17) is Monday at 7 p.m. at Kino. The Saguaros are going for their fourth Pecos League title, first since 2021. San Rafael is trying for its second pennant in three years.
The Saguaros and Pacifics combined for 29 runs on 34 hits while sending 11 pitchers to the mound in Sunday’s slugfest.
The Pacifics drew first blood with two runs in the top of the second inning when Mark Hernandez came around from first to score on a double off Tucson starter Jaymon Cervantes.
Fred Buckson later crossed the plate on Keith Whitaker’s single.
John Bicos subsequently brought in both Whitaker and Aki Buckson with a two-run double to make it a 4-0 San Rafael lead.
The Saguaros scored three in the bottom of the second as 29-year-old Pacifics starter Alex Valasek struggled with his control and balked in both former Sabino standout Antonio Fernandez and Brian Ledezma before serving up an RBI single to Marquise Wood.
The two sides exchanged two-run frames in the third inning as RBI singles from Hernandez and Payton Rios in the top of the inning were answered by RBI singles from the Saguaros’ Anthony Manisero and Mike Whalen in the bottom of the inning, chasing Valasek in the process and cutting the lead to 6-5.
After Manisero drove in Wood for Tucson in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game, the Saguaros broke loose with five runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to create a 12-6 advantage.
San Rafael then put three runs on the scoreboard (two on a Jorge Rios-Lopez single) and loading the bases with one out before Tucson closer Ian Lanik made an early entrance to the mound.
Lanik received a rude greeting from the Pacifics’ Gino Hutchinson, who drilled his first pitch for a two-run double.
One out later, Chris Wright repeated Hutchinson’s feat by rapping a two-run two-bagger of his own to cap a seven-run seventh as San Rafael regained the lead, 13-12.
Tucson put together four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead back and Treshon Paschal retired the Pacifics side in order in the ninth to close out the comeback Saguaros victory.
Wood led the Saguaros with three hits and three RBIs and Jacob Elizondo also had three hits with two RBIs, while Wright, Hernandez and Fred Buckson combined for nine hits and four RBIs for San Rafael.
Jesse Palafox tossed a scoreless eighth to earn the win for Tucson while outfielder Aki Buckson was pressed into relief duties and gave up the four Saguaro runs in the eighth to suffer the loss for the Pacifics.
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