Sameer Malla is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North Canyon High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – Patience and pitching paid off in the second game between Glendale and North Canyon on Tuesday afternoon. Much like the first match on March 8th when North Canyon won 12-0, the Rattlers scored in double-figures yet again and cruised to a 20-2 mercy-rule win after five innings at Bowen Field in North Canyon.

This game felt as if it were over after just the first inning, as North Canyon batted around against Glendale's Jordan Clifton, scoring seven runs on five walks and just two hits. The senior pitcher did not get to finish the inning, as freshman Darren Cling came in for relief.

“You don't have pitching, you don't swing the bat,” Glendale coach John Cooper said. “It's tough to be in ball games.”

The onslaught continued in the following inning, as North Canyon yet again went through its entire lineup. The team scored 10 more runs on two walks and six more hits, including a triple by freshman second baseman Jorge Cordero, followed by a two-run blast past the centerfield wall by the team’s designated hitter, junior Cody Skartveit.

“I wasn't trying to do too much with the home run,” Skartveit said. “I hit a line drive, got under a little bit, and it went over. I was really, really patient.”

“I feel really good about my performance,” Skartveit continued, as he went 2-for-2 with that home run, along with four runs and a stolen base as well. “Hitting one over the fence…that felt really good.”

Speaking of patience, North Canyon drew nine more walks on Tuesday, with senior centerfielder Derek Milligan drawing three walks – including two intentional – and senior leadoff hitter Randy Gonzalez walking twice as well.

“We wanted to be selective at the plate,” Skartveit said. “We wanted to get the pitch that we needed and put the ball in play when we needed to do it. That's what we did.”

“I think that's something we've definitely got better at doing in the year,” North Canyon coach Jeff Fierro said. “I think we were free swinging and I still want them to kind of have a ‘yes, yes’ approach at the plate or looking to swing first. We've gotten much, much more discipline - that's a good thing - and it's gonna have to come into play, especially when we start coming down the stretch.”

North Canyon starting pitcher junior Martin Rodriguez made his first start of the season. He threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out eight batters in five innings of work.

“Rodriguez is actually a guy that we brought up from JV to pitch for us today,” Fierro said. “We pitched him last week against Columbine [Colorado], as they came down here and they played us. He did well against them, and they had some really, really good hitters. So we thought, we might roll him today in preparation, trying to keep some of our guys healthy for our big game on Friday.”

“Our pitcher did very, very well to put a lot of strikes and he completed the game for us,” Skartveit said. “So we're really happy about that.”

The North Canyon Rattlers (6-2) will play a road game at a Major League stadium – Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks – against the Willow Canyon Wildcats (5-3) on Friday at 6:45 p.m. This is the first of two games in the coming week between the two teams, as both will face-off again at Bowen Field next Tuesday.

“It's gonna be a big region game,” Fierro said. “It’s tough. We know we're gonna have to play an almost flawless game to have a chance in that one. But I think our guys are excited and they're ready for the opportunity. This will be on the big stage. We're playing in Chase Field, so I think it's kind of a cool thing. Our boys… I'm really proud of how well they did the fundraiser bit of this to make this happen. I think it'll be just a fun experience.”

The Glendale Cardinals (3-5) return home on Thursday as they will face the West Point Dragons (4-5) in a 5A Central game.