Good pitching, good hitting and good fielding - all the pieces fell into place this weekend for the Bisbee Copper Kings as they swept the Casa Grande Cotton Kings in a rain- shortened home series and thrashed the Sierra Vista Aztecs in a Sunday exhibition game at Warren Ballpark.
Friday's doubleheader with the Cotton Kings was postponed due to muddy field conditions and will be played at a later date.
Bisbee right handed pitcher Brandon Orr turned in a solid performance in Saturday's opener, going five innings on the mound to lead the Copper Kings to a 9-3 victory.
Orr gave up three runs (two earned) and seven hits while striking out four Cotton Kings batters.
Carlos Lopez pitched three scoreless innings in relief and James Lilley closed out the game in the ninth inning for Bisbee.
The Copper Kings hammered Casa Grande for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and never lost the lead. Bisbee added three more runs in the second inning and one more in the bottom of the third to complete their scoring.
Two of Casa Grande's three runs came off solo shot home runs in the third and fourth innings.
Catcher Brandon Berg hit a two-run home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the second inning and added a double in the sixth inning to lead the Copper Kings hitters.
Bisbee made a total of nine hits and committed a single error in the nine inning contest.
Steady rainfall threatened to stop Saturday's nightcap game, but the contest was played out to completion and a 5-2 Bisbee win.
Starting pitcher Kyle Cormier went six innings for the Copper Kings, giving up two runs on five hits for the win. Cormier fanned seven Casa Grande batters and allowed two bases on balls.
Calen Pennington pitched three scoreless innings in relief for Bisbee, holding the Cotton Kings hitless while striking out six and allowing one walk.
The Copper Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and remained on top for the rest of the game. Bisbee added another run in the third inning and a final run in the fourth.
Casa Grande scored both of their runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Center fielder Armando Moran and catcher Carlos Martinez both went three for three for the Copper Kings. Moran hammered out two doubles, a single and one run batted in. Martinez hit three singles and drove in a pair of runs.
The Copper Kings took advantage of a sub-par performance by Cotton King starting pitcher Peter Gehle, who walked three Bisbee batters, allowed a pair of hits and three runs during the first inning. Gehle was tagged for the loss.
Casa Grande gave up a total of eight Bisbee hits.
Sunday's game with the Sierra Vista Aztecs was a seesaw affair that ended 20-8 in favor of Bisbee after seven innings.
The Copper Kings jumped on Sierra Vista starting pitcher Ramon Fernandez in the bottom of the first inning, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks.
Bisbee's starting pitcher Jacob Amos held the Aztecs scoreless for the first two innings but was driven from the mound after giving up six runs in the top of the third, including a grand slam home run by third baseman Francisco Rivero.
The Copper Kings responded with a single run in their half of the third inning to cut Sierra's lead to 6-5 and added another in the bottom of the fourth. Then, in the fifth inning, Bisbee's Boys of Summer unlimbered their bats and blasted the Aztecs for nine runs off nine hits and a pair of walks.
Sierra Vista was able to add a single run in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but was essentially on the ropes after the fifth.
The Copper Kings added another five runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game on ice.
James Hampson, who relieved Jacob Amos in the top of the fourth inning, was the winning pitcher for Bisbee. Cody Bair closed the game out for the Copper Kings, pitching the seventh and final inning.
The game was ended after Sierra Vista batted in the seventh inning when the 10-run "mercy rule" was invoked.
Outfielder Anthony Matias was Bisbee's top hitter, banging out four hits and driving in pair of runs in five trips to the plate.
Third baseman James Lilley belted a three-run home run and singled in another run in four times at bat.
Shortstop Destry Rice, second baseman Mike Mecucci and center fielder Armando Moran each added a pair of hits to the Bisbee total of 17.
Copper Kings Manager Greg Pennington was pleased with the overall performance of his team during the truncated series with Casa Grande and the Sunday exhibition game with Sierra Vista.
"We're finally starting to play together as a team," Pennington said. "The guys are getting to know each other on the fielding and it's showing in the way they work together."
Pennington praised the Bisbee pitching staff for shutting down Casa Grande's potent offense.
"Kyle (Cormier) went six innings, gave up two earned runs and three walks. Calen (Pennington) gave up one walk, struck out six in three innings. Brandon (Orr) - two earned runs and no walks. Carlos (Lopez) - three hits in three innings. That's solid pitching."
This Friday Bisbee's Boys of Summer will take on the Sierra Vista Aztecs in the opening contest of the Second Annual Bisbee Fourth of July Baseball Tournament. Play begins at 12:30 p.m. at Warren Ballpark.
Eight teams will be taking part in the three-day tournament: The Copper Kings, Casa Grande Cotton Kings, Tucson Nationals, Mesa Garden of Gears, Tucson Longhorns, Sierra Vista Aztecs, Denver Cougars and El Paso Sun Kings.
Games will be played at Warren Ballpark and the Cochise College baseball field located 10 miles west of Douglas on State Route 80.
Pennington is optimistic about his team's chances in the tournament.
"We're looking to win it. We have everything working for us right now. We're getting a lot more batting practice in and it's showing in the results. We still need to work on our bunting."
Pitching will be as crucial as hitting if Bisbee is to win the tournament, said Pennington.
"Unfortunately Orr won't be here to pitch for us, but we're hoping to bring in Tim Reed, who pitched for Pima this year and was an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week," Pennington said. "Eric Schaler will also be here, mostly as a reliever."
"We can hit just about anybody. We will put up a lot of runs. We are also solid on the field defensively. We have Ricky Alfonso, starting right fielder for Cochise College out there with Anthony Matias in left field and Armando Moran in center. In the infield we are set with James Lilley at third, Destry Rice at shortstop, Mike Mecucci at second and Calen Pennington at first."
The three days of baseball will culminate Sunday at 7 p.m. when the Copper Kings host El Paso in an exhibition game to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Warren Ballpark. The game will be a recreation of the first played on the century old field when the Bisbee Beautiful team took on the El Paso Browns June 27, 1909.
The gates open at Warren Ballpark at 4 p.m. An autograph-signing by three of the players featured on the "Bisbee's Boys of Summer" baseball cards will be held from 4-5 p.m. Entertainment will be presented between 5 and 6:30 p.m.
For information about the Bisbee Copper Kings Second Annual Baseball Tournament, the July 5 Warren Ballpark Centennial exhibition game or the Copper Kings baseball club, call 732-7325 or visit www.bisbeecopperkings.com.
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