Surprise, Ariz. — OUAZ Baseball opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion on Thursday afternoon, rolling to a 12–0 victory over Bethesda at the Texas Rangers Practice Field No. 3 inside the Surprise Spring Training Complex. The Spirit set the tone early with a six-run first inning, stringing together five hits to seize full control before Bethesda recorded the final out of the frame. Matthew Carter scored the first run of the season on a Rolen Driscoll RBI single to left, followed by a two-run double from Joey Ruiz to the left-center gap. Kasey Regala kept the inning moving with an RBI single, and Trevor Lesperance capped the early onslaught with a two-RBI knock up the middle to stretch the lead to 6–0.

OUAZ added insurance in the fifth when Camden Knutson stole home before a failed pickoff attempt allowed two more unearned runs to cross. The Spirit put the game out of reach in the seventh, highlighted by an Evan Mendoza RBI single and a pair of unearned runs off a throwing error to make it 12–0.

On the mound, senior right-hander Micah Del Rio was nearly untouchable in his season debut. Del Rio needed just 60 pitches to navigate seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits while striking out seven and issuing no walks. Tyler Alm worked the final two scoreless frames to seal the combined shutout.

Offensively, Driscoll led the Spirit with a 3-for-4 day, scoring three runs and driving in one. Lesperance finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Ruiz added a hit, a run, and two RBIs, and Mendoza reached base three times while scoring three runs and knocking in another.

With the win, OUAZ starts the season 1–0 and will face Bethesda again on Friday in a doubleheader, with first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Surprise Complex.