By Greg Perkins Holbrook’s baseball team won their first game in two years when they broke a 7-7 tie over St. Johns and pulled away to win the home game 12-7 on Saturday afternoon. St. Johns took the early lead with a single run in the top of the third, only to see Holbrook pull ahead with three runs in the home half of the frame. St. Johns appeared to have the edge after scoring five in the fourth, and one in the fifth to lead 7-3. In the bottom of the fifth Holbrook battled back to tie the game at seven. Jesse Knight then broke that tie when his three-run double that gave the Birds a 10-7 lead they wouldn’t give up. Holbrook eventually scored nine runs in the fifth inning to win the game. Knight led at the plate going three for four, with the three RBI. Daniel Montijo was two for four, with a pair of doubles. Isreal Ramos went two for three and John O’Brien was one for four, as was Manuel Baca. Holbrook utilized three pitchers Destin Bauer, O’Brien, and Marcus Oberriter and collectively they gave up seven runs on 10 hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Bauer was credited with five of those strikeouts. Earlier in the week, the Roadrunners fell twice to region foe Payson. On Tuesday playing in cold conditions in Payson, the Roadrunners fell 11-4. The game was 5-3 going into the bottom of the sixth where the Longhorns took control with six runs. Holbrook had just three hits in the loss. Montijo, Ramos and Oberriter each had one hit. Holbrook used Bauer, O’Brien and Oberriter on the hill where they gave up 11 runs on just four hits, but walked eight and struck out eight. Hosting Payson on another cold and windy day in Holbrook on Friday, the Birds fell to the Longhorns 11-6. Holbrook held the early lead at 1-0 through two innings but in the top of the third Payson scored four runs. They tacked on two more in the sixth to lead 6-1. Holbrook battled back in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game at 6-6 with a five-run inning. In the top of the seventh Payson put the game out of reach with five runs. Manuel Baca led at the dish going two for four. Carson Hatch, Montijo, Ramos, Jesse Knight and O’Brien each had one hit. Baca started the game on the hill going five innings. He gave up six runs on six hits. Hatch worked the final two innings giving up five runs on three hits. This week Holbrook will host Joseph City on Friday. Next week they face a tough Snowflake squad in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. With Saturday’s win, the Roadrunners enter this week with a 1-3 record.
