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Look carefully at the catcher’s mitt. A puff of dirt is the proof that a ball landed in there. Ray’s Catcher was on the ball at a recent outing against San Manuel. Samantha Samson | SMHS
Copper Basin News
The Ray baseball team closed out the regular season portion of their schedule with a win over Duncan, 18 – 6. The Bearcats finished the season with a record of 20 – 7, good enough to earn the 6th-seed and a first-round bye in the State Championship.
Dominic Bravo, playing in his final regular season game at Ray, had five hits, including three doubles and a homerun, to lead the ‘Cats in the win over Duncan. He also drove in five runs and stole three bases. Johnny Wernett also homered for the ‘Cats. Derek Pacheco, Destry Yocum, and Douglas McPeak each recorded multi-hit games.
Destry Yocum was the winning pitcher, allowing one run on one hit in two innings pitched.
The Bearcats will take on Superior in the second-round of the playoffs on Friday, May 9, 2014, at the Goodyear Baseball Complex. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Field #4.
The ‘Cats and Panthers split two previous meetings this year. The Panthers won on Apr. 8, 6 – 5. The Bearcats won at home on Apr. 25, 12 – 2.
With a win, the ‘Cats would play in the quarterfinals at 11:00 a.m. on May 10 at the Goodyear Baseball Complex.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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