Brevan Branscum is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover ALA Gilbert North for AZPreps365.com

In the seventh and final inning, down 3-2 and the bases loaded, junior Hayden Clegg walked to the plate with a chance to be the hero and to give American Leadership Academy Gilbert North its first win of the season. 

There was no player the Eagles would rather have at the plate than Clegg, who led the Eagles with a 0.416 batting average the previous season.

However, in fitting fashion for the sloppy game, a pitch went into the dirt and two Eagles rounded the bases to give the team its first win of the season. 

The 4-3 win over Apache Junction moved ALA Gilbert to 1-3-1 on the season. The team went 0-3-1 in the invitational opening tournament to kick off their year.

Both ALA Gilbert and Apache Junction averaged several errors per game coming into the matchup, and the mistakes continued in a sloppy game from both sides.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off a Prospectors’ fielding error, and scored the final two on the wild pitch. Apache Junction scored all three runs in the fourth inning, one of which came off a fielding error from ALA Gilbert. 

The mistakes by Apache Junction allowed ALA Gilbert to rally and score three runs in the final two innings. It also allowed the Eagles to do what they’re best at: get out and run.

“The key to our success is our speed,” head coach David Webster said. “We got some speed at the top of the lineup and the middle of the lineup so that’s what we’re going to live on.”

Whenever they got on base, Eagles players were always looking for opportunities to steal bases and outrun throws from the infield. Webster used this speed to the team’s advantage to mount the final inning comeback.

“I said, ‘Hey, we need to get the ball down, get the ball in play,’” Webster added. “We decided to do a little small ball in the last inning, and it worked out for us.”

After sophomore Tommy Crupi’s leadoff single, Colton Beardall and Boston Morris hit back-to-back bunts, beating the throw to first and loading the bases for Clegg before the wild pitch. Crupi and Beardall scored the go-ahead runs.

In his first three plate appearances, Clegg had one hit, drew a walk and struckout. It was his work on the mound, however, that kept the Eagles in the game. 

“I was just trying to keep the team alive,” Clegg said of his pitching performance. “My mindset was to come in and give it my best effort and give it my all so that we could get the win.”

In 2 ⅓ innings pitched, Clegg unofficially allowed one hit and zero runs along with four strikeouts. 

In the invitational tournament, every pitcher for ALA Gilbert struggled, including Clegg and starting pitcher Colton Jones. However, both had strong bounce back performances. 

“I just kind of slowed things down,” the senior Jones said. “I just calmed myself down and pitched. That win was very opening for us.”

Jones finished with 2 earned runs allowed on four hits and added four strikeouts in 4 ⅔ innings pitched.

It was also Webster’s first win as the head coach of the team, but to him and the program, the win meant a lot more. 

It was ALA Gilbert baseball’s first win since the passing of former head coach Brett Brewer earlier in the year. 

The Eagles will look to honor Brewer and his legacy for the rest of the season in their first year in 4A.