BASEBALL -- Pride win in dramatic fashion

Brayden Falk may have saved Mountain Pointe's baseball season. Twice.

The senior shortstop first made the throw that prevented the winning run from scoring in the bottom of the seventh, then snagged a hard line drive with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, flipped to second for the double play and kept the Pride alive again.

MP, the No. 14 seed in the Class 5A-Division I state tournament, then got a two-run single from senior C.J. Cron and held on to win, 4-2, in nine innings over No. 6 Glendale Mountain Ridge Tuesday night at Papago Baseball Complex.

"That was unbelievable," Cron said of Falk's eighth-inning heroics. "That gave us so much momentum and we just went right into the dugout and we swung the bats like we know how and we got a couple of runs and that's all we needed."

Just like their first round win over No. 3 Chandler Basha, the Pride (19-13) got things started early. First baseman Derek McCawley doubled home Cron in the first, then center fielder Ryan Klem led off the top of the second with a solo home run, spotting starter Jordan Madison a 2-0 lead.

Madison would use it well. The senior cruised until the fifth - allowing only three hits and striking out four - before Mountain Ridge shortstop Kyle Stiner hit a solo home run to cut it to 2-1.

"I've been wanting to pitch since Saturday" when MP beat Basha, Madison said. "It was hard to calm myself down all day."

Madison, who would go six strong innings allowing only the four hits, pinpointed his curveball as the root of success.

"When I can spot my curveball for a strike, it makes it a lot easier," he said. "Throwing through on curveballs, it's pretty tough to hit."

Madison was lifted for Cron to start the seventh inning, but after a strikeout, Mountain Ridge promptly loaded the bases.

Cron got ahead of the next batter, Mountain Lion left fielder Ryan Skube, but his next pitch was one in the dirt that catcher Matt Gibson couldn't block and Mountain Ridge's Brad Williams broke for home. Gibson scrambled to the ball, but his throw was late and wide for Cron at home plate, tying the game.

As the ball rolled past the mound, Mike Reynolds then broke for the plate for what would be the winning run. Just then, Falk scooped the ball up and fired to Cron at home for the final out of the inning.

"It could've been pretty easy to quit on the passed ball," said MP coach Brandon Buck, "but we have our guys backing up like they're supposed to and we get them trying to cheat and score a run - I mean that could've ended the game right there."

Mountain Pointe would load the bases in the top half of the eighth, but second baseman Eric Klem struck out swinging.

The Mountain Lions then took their turn at loading the bases again on a single, an error and a walk. This time, there was only one out and third baseman Stephen Brown due up.

The sophomore drilled the first pitch he saw - right at Falk, who flipped to Eric Klem to complete the double play.

"That happened earlier this season, and this time I came out lucky on that one," Falk said. "He hit the ball right to me and I rolled it up."

An energized Pride bench mauled Falk as he came off the field, and with two on and one out in the top of the ninth, Cron singled through the right side for a 3-2 lead. MP added a run on Nick Lira's fly to left that was dropped, and that would hold up in the bottom half of the inning.

"They could've just come right in and said, ‘Aw, we gave it up,'" Buck said. "After blowing the game, that says a lot about (Cron) to put a good (at-bat) together. Look what happens defensively, and then offensively he gets another shot and hits a good one."

The win avenged MP's loss to the Mountain Lions (16-10-2) earlier this season, 13-5 on March 28.

The Pride now move on to play No. 15 Gilbert Mesquite, which beat No. 7 Gilbert Highland earlier Tuesday night, 5-2.

Ryan Klem, who fanned 10 batters in the win over Basha, is scheduled to start.

"We knew we were one of the best teams out there. We knew that," Falk said. "We just struggled a little bit during the season, but we're coming out strong in the playoffs. Let everyone know that."