wssarizona

TEMPE, AZ — Hamilton delivered one of the biggest comebacks of the Arizona high school baseball season on the championship stage.

After falling behind 7-0 in the second inning, the Huskies stormed all the way back to defeat Corona del Sol 10-7 in the 6A State Championship on Tuesday night at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Corona del Sol appeared to have full control early, erupting for seven runs in the second inning behind a wave of offense. Parker Williams helped lead the Aztecs’ attack, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, while Conor Rae, Gabe Becho-Garcia and Maddon DelaCruz also added multi-hit production. Through the early innings, the Aztecs had momentum, the lead, and a chance to put Hamilton away.

But Hamilton kept the game alive.

The Huskies answered with one run in the bottom of the second, then added two more in the third to cut the deficit to 7-3. From there, Hamilton continued to apply pressure until the game completely flipped in the fifth inning. The Huskies put together a five-run frame to erase the deficit and take an 8-7 lead, turning what once looked like a Corona del Sol runaway into a Hamilton comeback.

Hamilton added two more runs in the sixth to stretch the lead to 10-7, giving the Huskies breathing room heading into the final inning.

Parker Rahn powered the Hamilton offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Ben Ball also came up big, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and two runs scored. Kal Hampton added two hits and an RBI, while Tyler Nelson drove in two runs as Hamilton finished with 12 hits.

The turning point came from the mound. After Corona del Sol’s seven-run second inning, Dean Thompson entered in relief and completely changed the game. Thompson threw five scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out three, giving Hamilton the stability it needed to work its way back.

Corona del Sol finished with 11 hits and had the offensive firepower to win, but Hamilton’s response after the early deficit proved to be the difference.

With the win, Hamilton closed the season at 22-10 and captured the 6A state championship. Corona del Sol finished 23-8 after a strong postseason run that ended one win short of a title.