Lucky 13th for baseball brings 6-5 win over South Mountain

  MESA, AZ - Thirteen was a lucky number for Mesa baseball as the T-Birds pulled out a 6-5 win over South Mountain in 13 crazy innings Tuesday.

  In an ironic twist of fate, the T-Birds scored the winning run on an error by the very player that had bedeviled them at the plate.

  Pinch hitter Chad Leonard (So., Mesa, AZ/Queen Creek H.S.) hit a bouncer between the mound and first base that was booted by first baseman Sebastian Zawada, allowing Jacob Boston (Fr., Chandler, AZ/Hamilton H.S.), who had tripled, to dash home with the winning run. Zawada had delivered four hits including two doubles and a home run.

  The win completed two comebacks for MCC, including one in the 11th inning.

  Mesa took a 1-0 lead in the first when Drew Lawrence (Fr., Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek H.S.) singled home Jordan Zimmerman (So., Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain H.S.) who had been hit with a pitch with two out.

  Zawada's home run in the fourth tied it before MCC took the lead back with a run in the seventh. Boston led off with a double, scoring on a base hit by Jordan Rose (So., Tremonton, Utah/Bear River H.S.).

  The Cougars surged back in front 3-2 in the eighth with the help of a Thunderbird error, but Mesa rallied to tie it in the bottom of the inning when Zimmerman tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mitchell Morimoto (Fr., Issaquah, Wash/Issaquah H.S.).

  It stayed that way until the 11th when the Cougars posted two more, again with the help of an error.

  But MCC had the answer. Lawrence started the bottom of the inning with a hit and Boston walked. A sacrifice by pinch hitter Logan Etherington (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev/Faith Lutheran H.S.) moved both into scoring position and a base hit to left by James Anderson (So., Henderson, Nev/Coronado H.S.) scored both to tie it.

  SMCC put runners on second and third with two out in the 13th, but Morimoto made a diving catch of a blooper by Jeff Carter to set up the drama of the bottom of the 13th.

  Lawrence finished 3-6 with an RBI while Rose was 2-4 and Boston 2-5.

  The two teams meet in Phoenix Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.