Longtime local sports journalist Brad Allis provided this report of Flowing Wells’ opening game in the Junior State Baseball Tournament. Allis is the host of the Wildcat Sports Report podcast and is the Senior Communications Specialist for Pima Association of Governments. His son Tyler plays for Flowing Wells. Brad has been the president of the Flowing Wells-Amphi Little League Board.
PAYSON — A year ago, the Flowing Wells Junior All-Stars thought they had a first-round win all but sewn up, only to have a curfew swing the momentum.
This year, the team, which features six players from last year’s squad, left no doubt and defeated Prescott Valley 15-2, invoking the 10-run mercy rule in the fifth inning in the game at Rumsey Park.
“Our first goal was to win one game,” said Flowing Wells coach Gilbert Tovar, who also guided last year’s team. “Now that we got that one under our belts, we have loftier goals.”
A year ago, the team from Tucson’s Northwest side had a 7-4 lead over Payson in the sixth inning when the local light ordinance kicked in, halting the game an hour earlier than the normal Little League curfew.
Flowing Wells was cruising, but when the game resumed the next day, Payson stole the momentum and rallied to beat Flowing Wells 12-7.
Flowing Wells left no doubt in its return to the state tournament.
Prescott Valley came into the game outscoring its opponents 63-22, and looked early on like it might keep up its hot hitting. It scored two runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of catcher’s interference, a chopper off the all-dirt infield that skipped over the second baseman’s head, and a double to the right-center gap.
Down 2-0, Flowing Wells came out swinging.
“Win every inning,” Tovar told his team. “They scored two, we need at least three.”
They got four.
Cruz Marcial got them on the board quickly. He hit a sharp grounder that went through the second baseman’s legs and went all the way to the fence. The speedy shortstop took advantage of the miscue and raced around the bases to score.
A few innings later, he hit a line drive that just got under the center fielder’s glove for a triple, and would race home on the throwing error.
Carlos Gallego and Matthew Trujillo hit back-to-back singles, and a Dante Tovar triple plated them both.
Tovar kept up his hot hitting from the District 5 tournament where he led the team in RBIs. He scored on an Isaiah Sanchez double to give Flowing Wells a 4-0 lead.
That was all that Gallego needed. The Flowing Wells pitcher shut out Prescott Valley over the next three innings, giving up just two hits and walking none. He was also 2 for 2 at the plate with a walk and three runs.
Flowing Wells broke the game open in the third with a seven-run inning.
After a 1-2-3 second inning, Prescott Valley went to its bullpen, and Flowing Wells took advantage.
Angel Sosa and Marcial reached when they were each hit by pitches. Sosa then scored when he stole third and came home on an errant throw by the catcher.
Gallego and Matthew Trujillo each walked to load the bases.
Tovar added his third RBI of the day on a single and Gallego scored when Jaiden Goldsmith walked. Trujillo scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.
Omar Rojas Jr. then blasted a two-run double to the left field fence. Rojas made it 11-2 thanks to an Aaron Fontes single to left.
Marcial made it 14-2 on his triple, scoring on an errant throw to the cutoff man and Goldsmith drove in his second run of the day when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
With the win, Flowing Wells faces Rio Vista, a team from the Phoenix area, on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
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