by 
Copper Area News
The 11th-seeded Superior baseball team crushed 22nd-seeded San Carlos in the opening round of the state playoffs, 10 – 0. The Panthers will play 6th-seed Ray in the second round. It will be the third meeting of the year between the teams.
The Panthers jumped on the Braves early, scoring four runs in the first two innings. They scored six more runs in the fifth on their way to the shutout victory. Panthers’ pitchers struck out 11 Braves’ hitters and held them to only two hits.
It was a dominating all-around performance by a young Panthers’ team with a number of freshmen who made their playoffs debut.
Next up for Superior is a second-round matchup with 6th-seeded Ray at 4:00 p.m. on May 9 at the Goodyear Baseball Complex – Field #5. The teams split two previous meetings with Superior winning the first matchup, 6 – 5. Ray won the second game, 12 – 2. This third meeting is the most important of the season with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.
With a win, the Panthers would play the winner between 14th-seeded St. Johns and 3rd-seeded San Manuel 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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