SURPRISE, Ariz. – The OUAZ baseball team pushed No. 25 Benedictine Mesa to the 10th inning, but they couldn't pull the upset as the visitors escaped with a 5-3 win on Tuesday night on Royals Field at 6 at the Surprise Recreation Complex.
 
OUAZ (1-6) had the game setup as a bullpen game as head coach Tim Montez ran out 11 different pitchers with only starter Dylan Chelini recording more than three outs. The Spirit staff held the high-powered Benedictine Mesa (9-3) offense to just seven hits and they recorded nine strikeouts.
 
While the pitching kept the Spirit in the game, it took the offense awhile to get going. Down 2-0 into the bottom of the seventh, Elijah Celaya sparked the team with a two-out triple to left center. He then scored on an RBI single from Ben Lewis.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, OUAZ tied the game on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Adrian Salazar. Jordan Hollins then delivered a two-out single to left field, but Kobie Tinsley was called out at the plate as the Redhawks' catcher gathered a throw from the left fielder up the line and somehow got a tag on Tinsley to end the inning.
 
BenU then struck for three runs in the top of the 10th with the Spirit only able to get one back on an RBI groundout from Jared Crockett.
 
Crockett had three hits in the game to lead the Spirit's nine-hit outing. Lewis and Tinsley added two hits apiece.
 
Chelini recorded two strikeouts in his two innings on the mound. Kapono Rawlins and Shane Flaningam each had perfect innings of work. Anthony Quattrocchi (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing two runs on four walks in one inning.
 
OUAZ will now get set to open Golden State Athletic Conference play this weekend when they host a four-game series with Hope International. The team will play a nine-inning game at 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday at Valley Vista High School. They will then play a seven-inning game each day at 3 p.m. on Royals Field 6.