Xavier Prep's days as the #1 team in the 6A power rankings may be numbered. Not that the Gators are immersed in a long losing streak. No, Xavier dropped only its second game of the season Monday afternoon. And for the second time the loss was to Premier Region foe Hamilton. The first loss to the Huskies occurred April 1 (6-4), snapping a season-opening, six-game winning streak by the Gators. Monday's loss ended a five-game success streak. Those losses don't scream doom and gloom for the Gators, but served to gain the region title for Hamiton.

#6 Hamilton reeled off its eighth win in a row, outslugging Xavier, 13-7, in a game featuring seven home runs at Hamilton High. Region play in the five-team Premier Region is complete with about 9 days left in the regular season and four or five games on average left for teams to play. Hamilton claimed the region banner with an overall record of 11-5, 7-1 in region. Xavier is 11-2, 6-2. New power-rankings will be computed Tuesday morning, the first time since prior to games of April 23.

Hamilton cranked out 13 hits and four of the game's seven homers. The home runs were from junior Liv Lostorto, who was 3-3 adding a single and double, senior Kelly Downs and freshmen Kate Vance and Harli Noriega. Vance was 2 for 4 and her homer was a three-run shot in the second inning helping bring the Huskies back from a 3-0 deficit. Noriega (2 for 4) lifted her home run to kick off a five-run rally in the fifth that grew an 8-7 Huskies' lead to the final score. 

Hamilton used three pitchers in this latest win. Starter Allison Weyandt threw 2 1/3 innings and left with a 6-6 tie. Loganne Stepp relieved and pitched through the fifth. Sophomore Sophia Tassinari, who along with freshman Julie Guerrero shouldered much of the pitching early while Stepp and Weyandt were shelved, closed with two scoreless innings.

"This was a team effort," Hamilton coach Rocky Parra said. "We swung the bats well today. I felt we were in control almost every at-bat. We fouled pitches off at times to get work counts and get better pitches to hit.

"Early in the season our pitching staff overall wasn't heatlthy. Now we are, and I'm comfortable with the options we have."

Xavier wasted no time in jumping ahead in the first, scoring three runs after facing only seven pitches from Weyandt. Leadoff hitter Lauren Putz was hit by the first pitch. Bridget Donahey homered to center on a 2-2 pitch. Macy Lee followed homering on the first pitch she saw to center. 

The inning that killed Xavier was the second. Hamilton scored six times, but should have been limited to one run. Downs homered off Xavier starter Riley Flynn to begin the Huskies' rally. Two outs later, with runners on who singled and walked, a looping pop up behind second base should have been the third out. Neither the shortstop or second baseman gave way and the miscommunication resulted in a drop. One run scored on the drop then three more on Vance's blast. The fifth unearned run of he inning came via Danitza Hernandez's RBI double. Overall Xavier committed five errors, none more costly than the second-inning gaffe.

Xavier evened the game at 6 in the third inning, forcing a pitching change from Weyandt to Stepp before the half-inning was complete. Four hits and a hit batter combined to plate the runs with RBI belonging to - Donahey and two to Elliot Smith on a two-out single.

The 6-6 tie was snapped for good in the bottom of the fourth. Lostorto's RBI single and another Xavier error pushed the Huskies' advantage to 8-6. Flynn pulled Xavier to within 8-7 in the top of the fifth was solo homer to center. Flynn's homer was one of two hits and the only run Stepp and Tassinari allowed in 4 2/3 innings of relief.

Hamilton's next game is its Senior Day on Tuesday against Dobson. Xavier is idle until Thursday when it visits Westwood.