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

PHOENIX – North Canyon celebrated senior day with a runaway 12-3 victory against the Washington Rams at Bowen Field. The win snapped North Canyon’s season-high four-game losing streak.

The Rattlers’ senior shortstop, Randy Gonzalez, who was honored alongside two other seniors pregame, had center stage in Thursday’s matinee. As the team’s leadoff hitter, he went 1-for-2 at the plate, with three runs, two RBIs and four stolen bases.

“I'm quick around the bases,” Gonzalez said. “That's why they have me as the first hitter, so usually I get on base and then steal second and third.”

The steals were not the only impressive statistic from Gonzalez’s play. He also pitched two scoreless, one-hit innings, striking out three batters in relief of starting pitcher Gabe Gordy. A true two-way player who showed his versatility on senior day.

“I just started hitting my zone,” Gonzalez continued. “I did my job.”

North Canyon coach Jeff Fierro was pleased with his senior’s performance, but also noted that Gonzalez received little playing time in past seasons.

“I'm really happy for Randy because his career here at North Canyon has kind of been weird,” Fierro said. “We've got him here his freshman year under the old coaching staff, and I'm not sure what happened there. I think he had some problems playing-wise, so he didn't get as much playing time. And then the sophomore year would have been the first year I was here. He came out, and then COVID happened to cut it. And then last year, I think he was helping his family a lot. So, he really wasn't able to play. It was a good surprise to have him out. And then once he been out, he's been great.”

The rest of North Canyon also contributed in other ways, as each batter recorded at least two hits, with eight of the nine batters crossing home plate. In addition, sophomore Gabe Gordy threw five inningts of two-hit ball and struck out seven batters in only his second start on the season.

“I just think the guys finally just started having fun,” Fierro said. “On senior day, we put their numbers out [on the field] and they had a little bit of fun. We got music - we don't typically have music for them. So those kinds of things give them a little hyped up. I think the offense played to it, but I think part of it too, is they started realizing that we're getting down to the end, and this is gonna be like our last couple of games as a team with the same guys and I think that's part of it.”

As for Washington? Ram starter Rudy Alvarez was tagged for five runs on six hits in only three innings of work. Sophomore Cody Tieman relieved and gave up six runs on six hits in only two innings of relief.

The Rams also had several miscues in the field – four errors in total - as they routinely misplayed fly balls and overthrew their teammates on simple put-out plays. Washington, held two three hits, has now lost 11 of their last 12 games.

On the bright side, junior third baseman Pedro Leon was a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish, with a solo blast to left-centerfield in the second inning, followed by a sixth inning triple to the center-rightfield gap for the Rams.

“They are a young team and they're still improving - seven sophomores and freshmen,” Rams coach Michael Mendoza tersely said after the game.

Fierro noticed that those Rams' faults greatly resembled their own lapses during the Rattlers past eight games.

“It's kind of the same things we've been doing,” Fierro said. “Like on the other side, we've been the team has been making those mistakes. It was nice to be able to capitalize on the other side of those.”

Fierro was upbeat and optimistic, despite North Canyon earning only their second win all month in April.

“I think we've battled a lot of adversity here recently,” Fierro said. “I've been telling them, that's kind of why I like coaching, and baseball is kind of married life a lot. Sometimes you go through some bad, bad times and it feels like you can't do anything right. We have just got to still believe and still be positive. All the things that make you successful in life, same things that make you successful in baseball, and I was just glad that kind of they're able to send finish off the season here at home on a high note after a lot of bad stuff happened recently.”

The Rattlers (8-9) will play their last game of the season on the road, against these same Rams,  (4-12) on Monday.