Don Ketchum
Former Staff Writer, AZPreps365.com

Brophy manages to hold on for baseball win over Horizon

March 15, 2013 by Don Ketchum, AZPreps365


Whether their records are absolutely perfect or perfectly awful, the baseball teams from Phoenix Horizon and Phoenix Brophy Prep always seem to put on a good show.

Friday night (March 15) was no different when the teams met at Brophy.

Both had been struggling in the season’s early stages, but both played at a higher emotional level and higher all-around level.

Brophy held on for a 6-4 victory, sparked by a double play with the bases loaded that allowed it to escape a tough situation in the top of the sixth inning.

“There was a lot of energy out there for both teams tonight,’’ said long-time Brophy coach Tom Succow. “We were fortunate to come up with the win. It was a big (Division I) power-point win.’’

Brophy is 4-6, Horizon 3-5.

Both teams were aggressive on the basepaths, stealing and trying to hit-and-run, and both teams got home runs.

Brophy’s Michael Lucero hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning, an opposite-field shot to right. Horizon’s Chris Isbell connected for a two-run blast to left to highlight a three-run third.

The key sequence came in the sixth inning after Horizon loaded the bases with one out against Brophy starter Michael Westra.

Succow and his staff decided to go with Garrett Rupp, a tall closer-type.

Rupp came on to face Horizon’s Ryan Neel, who had the crowd buzzing when his foul ball on the first-base side shattered a light atop the light pole and sent a shower of glass to the ground. No one was injured.

Shortly thereafter, Neel hit a bouncer up the middle just to the right of the second-base bag. It appeared as if the ball would get through to the outfield and that Horizon would at least tie it at 6.

Brophy second baseman Ryan Grotjohn quickly moved over to field the ball, stepped on the bag and turned to throw the runner out at first to end the inning.

“Our middle infield (Grotjohn and shortstop Charlie Coppola) has done a great job for us so far,’’ Succow said.

Rupp retired Horizon in order in the seventh, including a strikeout to seal the win.