SURPRISE, Ariz. – The OUAZ baseball team scored the final three runs of the game to rally for a 5-4 win over Benedictine Mesa in the season opener at Surprise Stadium on Thursday night.
 
OUAZ (1-0) managed just five hits in the game, but they used two seventh inning runs and excellent work from the bullpen to tally the victory.
 
Travis Hawkins earned the win after throwing 3.1 innings in relief. He allowed no runs on two hits with five strikeouts. Taylor Campos worked the final three outs to earn the save.
 
After Benedictine Mesa (5-2) scored twice in the top of the first, Esteban Martinez got one back for the Spirit in the bottom half of the inning with a bases-loaded single. Race Traynor picked up a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third to answer a run from the Redhawks in the top of the second.
 
The teams would trade run again in the top of the fifth and bottom of the sixth to have the Spirit trailing 4-3 when they hit in the seventh. Ryan Mortensen drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly and then Chandler Reynard drove home the go ahead run with an infield single.
 
BenU Mesa got a runner to third with two outs in the top of the ninth but couldn't get him across as Mortensen recovered a wild pitch from Campos and flipped it back to the pitcher for the tag on the baserunner to end the game.
 
Martinez finished the game with a single, two walks, and one RBI. Mortensen was 1 for 1 with the sacrifice and Chandler Reynard had a single, walk, and RBI.
 
Hayden Durkiewicz started the game for the Spirit and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
 
Shawn Barrowdale was 3 for 4 with a double for the Redhawks. Ryan Wicketts suffered the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) in two innings of relief.
 
The two teams will play game two of the three-game series on Friday. First pitch at Surprise Stadium in scheduled for 6 p.m.