All that was missing Friday, April 8, was Roy Hobbs and Wonderboy.
Senior Sedona Red Rock High School shortstop Garrison Skornik was The Natural in the ninth inning, decking a two-run home run 340 feet out of a muddy, rainy, lightning-stricken Chinle High School field to take control of the Division IV, Section I race.
“Man, that was a great game,” Scorpions head coach Craig Eagle said after the 6-4 win. “It felt like a playoff win: Very high-pressure. Very hard-fought. Very dramatic.”
Junior ace Randy Rodriguez earned his ninth win, striking out 14 in his fifth complete game of the season.
“It’s difficult to get him out of the game,” Eagle said of Rodriguez, who threw 120 pitches as SRRHS won its third of three extra-inning games. “These games have all been pretty tight. Some teams just fold; we’re able to hang in there.
“It just shows we have a mentally tough team in the late innings — something that’s not easy to stay focused on in high school.”
In addition to a stolen base and two other runs scored, senior Justice Keane added a solo shot of his own in the fifth inning to put SRRHS up, 4-0.
“We went [back] and forth the whole game,” Eagle said. “Both teams wanted this.
“I feel proud of our guys for staying in the game all the way to the end.”
But the Wildcats had plenty of drama of their own to contribute, reaching Rodriguez for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game in their final at-bat.
“He just hangs in there,” Eagle said of his ace. “He’s got great stamina. He was still throwing very hard at the end.”
After a 15-minute rain delay, the Scorpions made all seven of their hits count, knocking Wildcats ace Eric Skinner out of the game in the second inning before the third RBI by sophomore catcher Wyatt Ross in the third inning.
“We had just arrived, and there was a full lightning storm,” Eagle said. “We knew we had to get this game in, though.”
The loss was the first in non-tournament play for Chinle, ranked sixth in the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Division IV power rankings.
The Scorpions are ranked eighth. Rival Camp Verde High School, which the Scorpions will host Thursday, April 14, is No. 14.
“I know Camp Verde will always be a big game for us,” Eagle said. “We’re going to play them all the way to the wire.”
With wins over the Cowboys at home and on the road Friday, April 22, the Scorpions will remain on track for the final home bye of the Division IV state tournament, which starts Friday, April 29, in Phoenix.
“It would be nice to win out,” Eagle said. “We have three more section games. I’ve been able to stretch out our season so that we played heavy early and light late, so I’ve been able to rest guys.”
