The Tucson Saguaros completed a two-game road sweep at the Garden City (Kan.) Wind on Thursday night with a 9-5 win, clinching the Pecos League’s Mountain Division title series and securing a berth in the league championship series.
The Saguaros (47-9) will face the Pacific Division champs San Rafael (Calif.) Pacifics (34-16) in the best-of-three championship series that starts Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. Game 2 is Sunday at 7 p.m. and Game 3 (if necessary) is Monday at 7 p.m.
Tucson, which was founded in 2015, will go for its fourth Pecos League championship after earning titles in 2016, 2020 and 2021.
The Saguaros enter the championship series on an 18-game winning streak. San Rafael has won seven straight and 10 of its last 13 games since the All-Star break July 14-16.
Similar to Wednesday’s series opener, Tucson jumped out to an early lead Thursday night against Garden City.
Gavy Perez-Torres (formerly of University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M.) hit an RBI single that scored Jacob Elizondo (St. Mary’s University in San Antonio) in the top of the first inning.
The Saguaros added three runs in the third as Elizondo belted a two-run homer and then tacked on three more in the fourth when Sabino graduate Antonio Fernandez (McPherson (Kan.) College) hit a solo shot and Marquise Wood (Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia) stroked a two-run double to give Tucson a 7-0 lead.
Garden City pushed across three runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a Jacob Talamante homer and Rob Morosetti scoring from third on a successful double steal.
The teams traded runs in the fifth, with Tucson’s Anthony Manisero (Molloy (N.Y.) University) coming in on Brian Ledezma’s (University of the Southwest) sacrifice fly, followed by the Wind’s Kaleb Scull scoring on a Talamante double to cut the Saguaros lead to 8-4.
Perez-Torres homered for an insurance run in the ninth.
Morosetti singled in Jason Rooks in the bottom of the ninth. but it was not enough for the Wind as the Saguaros closed out the game and series.
Wood collected four hits for Tucson while Fernandez finished with three; Talamante, Scull, Dominic Enbody and Secundio Morales each had two hits for Garden City.
Blake Garrett (Louisiana-Alexandria State University) improved to 5-0 with the victory. He allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings with three strikeouts and a walk.
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