Ashley Stevens is a Master's student at ASU/Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Mountain Ridge High School for AZPreps365.com

GLENDALE– Mountain Ridge is one of three top-seeded teams on the brink of elimination after an 8-4 loss at home against the Chandler Wolves on Tuesday afternoon. The No. 3 Mountain Lions join No. 1 overall seed Hamilton and No. 2 seed Alhambra in needing to now advance to the 6A state championship via the loser's bracket.

The sixth-seeded Chandler Wolves jumped on top early, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning off sophomore right-hander Smith Bailey. Third baseman Brody Sexton and center fielder Tate Scott each earned walks after Bailey started the frame striking out Kyle Sleconich. Starting pitcher Daniel Hutchison drove Sexton home for the first run of the game and was batted in after junior catcher Mattix Meade sent a three-run shot over the fence. 

Mountain Ridge returned the favor, plating two runs of its own in the bottom of the first to attempt to put a halt to the momentum Chandler was looking to build upon, and ultimately achieved, as the game wore on. 

Left fielder Josh Wakefield, batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, reached base after Hutchison hit him with a changeup to start his outing. Senior Aj Singer reached on a double to left field, with senior Zach Yorke following with a walk. Jackson Forbes, who went 2-for-4 at the plate, scored Wakefield from third after hitting a blooper over shortstop Camden Nygaard’s glove with first baseman Cannon Peery following suit, scoring Singer from third on a fielder’s choice to second baseman RJ Saenz who took the out at second. 

Chandler’s heart of the lineup proved to be the difference in the game. Sexton, Scott, Hutchison, and Meade, batting in the 2 through 5 spots, accounted for all eight of the Wolves' runs scored. The foursome worked six walks, four of the seven hits allowed, and two home runs with Scott sending a two-run no-doubter over the right-center field wall to extend the lead 6-2 in the top of the third. 

Bailey exited the game for the Mountain Lions after three innings pitched. He struck out six, allowing four hits and four earned runs. The rotation of Bailey, Shaun Cottrell, and Cooper Neville allowed seven Chandler batters to reach base via walk, the same amount of hits they accumulated throughout the entire game. 

“They had the momentum for most of the game, which momentum is always very key in baseball, so I don't think it's any of our pitchers' fault,” Yorke said. “I just think they brought it to us and we weren't ready for it.”

Chandler added another two runs in the top of the fifth after Scott sent a ground ball through the 3-4 hole. Hutchison, Meade, and Saenz all worked back-to-back-to-back walks off of Cottrell before designated hitter Seth Moore sent a blooper to right field for a base hit. 

Mountain Ridge did what it could to chip away at the deficit heading into the bottom of the fifth down 8-2. Zach Yorke earned his second walk of the day with Forbes following up with a double to right field. With runners on second and third, Cannon Peery plated Carson McEntire, who ran in Yorke’s place, on a fielder's choice for his second RBI of the game. Junior third baseman Cooper Neville sent Forbes home with an RBI single, putting two runs on the board for the Mountain Lions. 

Sophomore infielder Jackson Forbes up to bat for the Mountain Lions. Forbes went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI and one run scored. (Ashley Stevens Photo/AZPreps365)

On what should have been the last out of the game, Chandler’s Mattix Meade let the third strike skip by him, allowing Forbes to reach first base with two outs. Cannon Peery worked a walk against senior left-hander Kyle Sleconich who replaced Hutchison after the dropped third strike. Neville legged out an infield single after hitting a ground ball to the right side of the field for his second hit of the day. With two outs, down 8-4, the Mountain Lions were looking to pull off another come from behind win, and a Hail Mary with the bases loaded. Ameer McGee nearly continued the rally with a soft line drive into the green of left field, but Chandler shortstop Nygaard leaped for an impressive catch to end the bid, finalizing the score and moving Chandler up the 6A State Playoff bracket ladder. 

“I think we just need to get back to trusting the guys behind us,” Yorke said. “I think our swings have gotten a little big in these playoff games trying to do too much. I think if we just trust the guys behind us like we have all year, we'll be fine.”

“When it gets hard, we have to be better at getting after it and doing our best to stay in the game versus getting quiet,” Forbes said.

“(The energy) has to be consistent throughout,” Cottrell said. “I feel we need to come out with either the mentality and the energy that we had in a seventh and we just have to continue that throughout the game.”

“I'm not worried about the motivation piece of what's gonna come out because we got a team that loves playing together and realistically now we know it's go time,” Mountain Ridge head coach Eddie Bonine said. “Obviously we gotta get after it and do our best first two or three innings of the game and go from there.”

Mountain Ridge will host another game at home against the seventh seed, Sandra Day O’Connor, at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Mountain Ridge needs a win to keep their playoffs hopes alive and will face the winner of the Alhambra-Brophy Prep game. 

"It's gonna be fun," said Bonine. "It's gonna be fun for the community in this neighborhood. It'd be a lot of energy involved and you know, they do a good job of competing and scrapping and I don't expect anything less than a really good ballgame."

Chandler will play the tenth seed, Perry, at Diablo Stadium on Saturday at 4p.m.