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The ball seems to hover at hip height for Armando Sierra.
Samantha Samson | SMHS
San Manuel Miner
After coming close last year, the San Manuel baseball team is expecting to break through this year and capture the State Championship. The 3rd-seeded Miners will take on 14th-seeded St Johns this Friday. St. Johns defeated 19th-seeded Duncan in the opening round.
The Miners went 18 – 6 this season and won the Sectional Championship. They won their final three games of the regular season. The swept Bowie in a double-header on the final day of the season by identical scores of 15 – 0.
The Miners have allowed a total of 11 runs in their last seven victories. Only one team has scored more than 4 runs against them in their last 13 games.
Shane Kelly, Francisco Medina, Armando Sierra, and Anthony Garcia are among the top five in several offensive categories. Garcia is among the pitching leaders as well.
The second-round game versus St. Johns will take place this Friday at the Goodyear Sports Complex – Field #5. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
With a win over St. Johns, the Miners will play the winner between 11th-seeded Superior and 6th-seeded Ray on May 10 at 11:00 a.m.
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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