Snowflake ended the regular season on a down note, but quickly bounced back in a 3A play-in game with a win over Page to make it to the 16-team state bracket as the No. 10 overall seed.
The Lobos put a wrap on the regular season last Monday with a 24-13 loss to Blue Ridge. The game started well enough with Snowflake going up 9-0 through an inning and a half, but the Yellowjackets stormed back, scoring 15 runs in the next three innings to control the game. Blue Ridge ended the game in the sixth inning with an additional nine runs.
Snowflake entered the play-in game last Wednesday as the 10th seeded and played host to No. 23 seeded Page. The Lobos advanced to the final bracket with a 7-1 win over the Sand Devils, bringing Page’s season to a close.
Now the Lobos will face No. 7 seed Casteel at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 5, at the Surprise Sports Complex. If the Lobos advance, they would most likely face fellow region foe Payson. The Longhorns are the No. 2 seed and should have little problems advancing past No. 15 Chinle, although the Wildcats brought an end to Winslow’s season in the play-in round last week.
The East Region still has five teams in the final bracket. Top ranked Holbrook faces No. 16 Empire. Second seed Payson takes on No. 15 Chinle. No. 11 Show Low takes on No. 6 Safford. No. 12 Blue Ridge will face No. 5 Yuma Catholic.
Blue Ridge and Holbrook appear to have gotten the tougher draw, as the top half of the bracket has six southern area teams, which are generally solid baseball teams that have traditionally done well in the state tournament.
