Holbrook’s baseball team entered the final week of the regular season ranked eighth in the 3A rankings. Whether or not they remained in that position depended on the outcome of Monday’s home game with Payson, as well as Tuesday’s completion of the Winslow contest which was suspended on Friday due to poor weather.
If the Roadrunners can stay eighth or higher in the rankings they would be able to bypass the state play-in games on Friday and would automatically be placed in the 3A state tournament bracket. If they fall to either Payson or Winslow, or both, they could potentially be hosting a state play-in game on Friday as a ninth seed or lower. If that is the case, they would need to win that game to make the state tournament.
The Roadrunners were in Snowflake on Tuesday of last week and came home with a 6-5 loss to the Lobos. Holbrook struggled with Lobo pitching until the fifth inning where they scored their first three runs. They added one more in the sixth and another in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a big fifth frame from Snowflake, which gave them a five run lead.
Justin Perkins did his part going 3 for 4, with a home run; Jalen Nez was 3 for 4, with a double; Frankie Ulibarri, 2 for 4; Cole McDaniel, 1 for 4; Brett Buckley, 1 for 3; Ryan Short, 1 for 2; Brady Buckley, 1 for 3; and Michael Queiruga was 1 for 3, with a double.
Nez pitched six innings giving up six runs on 10 hits with eight strikeouts and walked two.
Holbrook was hosting Winslow on Friday, when the game had to be suspended due to weather, and will be resumed on Tuesday afternoon in Holbrook.
On Saturday the Roadrunners faced Round Valley in a game that had been rescheduled from earlier in the season. It didn’t take long for the Roadrunners to gain the upper hand on the 2A school with Holbrook scoring eight runs in the first inning. They added two more in the fourth to win the game in five innings 10-0.
Ulibarri got the win pitching all five innings. He allowed just two hits with four strikeouts.
At the plate Perkins went 3 for 3; McDaniel, 2 for 3, with a double; Ulibarri, 2 for 3; Ryan Short, 1 for 2; Buckley, 1 for 2, with a double; and Nez was 1 for 2.
If the Roadrunners can finish at eighth or higher in the rankings they won’t play again until May 4 in the first round of the state tournament. If they finish the season ranked ninth or lower they will be in action on Friday, hosting someone in a play-in game on Friday afternoon.
