By Don Ketchum

Fountain Hills’ baseball team had a big inning on Tuesday (April 10), but Phoenix Scottsdale Christian Academy had a bigger one.

Scottsdale Christian spotted Fountain Hills a 4-0 lead when the visitors scored all their runs in the second inning, then came back to score eight runs in the third on the way to a 10-4 victory.

Scottsdale Christian entered the week as the No. 2 team in the new Division III power points, and Fountain Hills was No. 5.

Both schools have had a rich heritage in recent years. Fountain Hills was the old Class 3A state champion in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and was state runner-up in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Scottsdale Christian won it all in the old Class 2A in 2004 and 2005 and was state runner-up in 2003, 2006 and again last season.

“This is the first time this season we have really had to bounce back like this, and doing it against a good team is even better,’’ said Scottsdale Christian coach Bill Swift.

Fountain Hills (14-8) touched Scottsdale Christian left-hander Clay Crookham for four runs in the second. Three of those came on a bases-clearing triple by Devin Foyle.

Crookham rebounded by giving up just three hits and striking out four over the next three innings. Left-hander Daniel Clark worked the sixth inning and right-hander Sam Brannon the seventh.

The bats for Scottsdale Christian (13-4) came alive in the third. The Eagles (Fountain Hills has the same mascot) sent 11 men to the plate, collecting seven hits and getting help from a pair of Fountain Hills errors.

Nathaniel Ellingson had two hits in the inning, and the second one, a two-run home run, provided an exclamation point. Ellingson finished the day with three hits.

After his team trailed early, Swift said he told his players to “just chip away. Put the ball in play. Hit the ball hard, get bloop hits, whatever. Make them make mistakes. Keep the inning going.

“We also had pretty good pitching and defense today.’’

The Division III state tournament is just around the corner and figures to be ultra competitive.

“We’re going to be seeing some pretty good pitching, and a game like this will help us with our confidence if we happen to get behind,’’ Swift said.