What goes down hopefully comes back up. And after losing eight straight games, Bisbee's Boys of Summer came roaring back last weekend, taking three games out of four in a weekend series of double headers with the Tucson Nationals played at Warren Ballpark.
Sparked by the return of Armando Moran and Brandon Orr - and by a determination to stop the embarrassing losing streak - the Copper Kings pulled themselves back up to within 2 games of .500 with a 14-16 overall record. Bisbee ended the regular season with a 6-10 record in Pacific Southwest Baseball League play and enters this weekend's PSWBL double elimination tournament at Tucson Electric Park as the number three seed in a four-team field. The winning team at the tournament earns the right to take part in the National Baseball Congress tournament scheduled to take place in mid-August in Wichita, KS.
The Copper Kings are scheduled to play the Casa Grande Cotton Kings at Tucson Electric Park at 4 p.m. Friday. If Bisbee wins, they will face the winner of the 7 p.m.
Mesa Garden of Gears-Tucson Nationals contest the following day. If they lose the Friday opener against Casa Grande, the Copper Kings will move to the losers' bracket.
Bisbee goes into the PSWBL tournament on a high note, after winning last weekend's series against the Nationals.
The Copper Kings lost the Friday opener 7-3, but came back in the nightcap to defeat Tucson, 9-6.
In the Friday afternoon contest, Tucson rocked Bisbee pitcher Tyler Johnston for three runs in the top of the first inning and never relinquished the lead. The Nationals scored three additional runs off Johnston in the fifth and a final run in the seventh inning.
Bisbee countered with a single run in the bottom of the third and two runs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning.
The Copper Kings were held to only four hits.
Johnston, who was tagged with the loss, gave up 13 hits, walked one and hit three Tucson batters in seven innings on the mound.
Bisbee played catch-up with Tucson during the early part of the second game, falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning. The Nationals blasted starting pitcher Cody Bair for five runs in the third. The Copper Kings squeezed out a single run in the bottom of the second inning, tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run attack and cranked out another three runs in the sixth inning.
Kyle Cormier, who relieved Bair with one out in the bottom of the third, held the Nationals scoreless for the remainder of the nine-inning game to pick up the win.
Shortstop Destry Rice and third baseman Armando Moran each went two for four at the plate for the Copper Kings. Rice tripled and doubled, driving in a single run while Moran produced two RBIs off a pair of singles.
In Saturday's early game Brandon Orr and Cody Bair teamed up to pitch Bisbee to a 5-1 victory over the Nationals.
Orr, who returned to Bisbee after a two week absence, went five innings on the mound, giving up a single run and two hits to earn the victory.
Bair gave up one hit in his two innings of relief pitching.
Bisbee connected for six hits, including a three-run home run by Armando Moran in the bottom of the third inning and a solo home run by first baseman Calen Pennington in the fifth.
Moran ended the game with two hits out of four trips to the plate and four runs batted in. Pennington went two for three, with one RBI.
The Saturday evening game was a see-saw contest that was only decided in the final inning.
Bisbee fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, but came back to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second.
What looked to be a bases-loaded 3-RBI triple by Jacob Amos in the bottom of the second was nullified when Tucson lodged a protest against Amos, who hadn't checked in with the umpire when he entered the game to replace shortstop Destry Rice. Amos was called out, the runners returned to their bases, and Bisbee was retired when the next batter lined out.
Tucson hit starting Bisbee pitcher Carlos Lopez for two runs in the third inning and another in the fourth, to put the Nationals up, 4-1.
The Copper Kings scored one run in the fourth and two in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game, 4-4. Bisbee took the lead in the sixth, capitalizing on a pair of walks, a throwing error, a wild pitch and a pair of triples by Armando Moran and second baseman Miguel Trujillo to forge ahead, 6-4.
Copper Kings relief pitcher Calen Pennington held the Nationals scoreless until the ninth inning, when he was rocked for three straight hits. Pennington was relieved by Andy Bergenstein, but Tucson was able to score a total of four runs on five hits and a pair of walks off the two pitchers before he was able to retire the side.
Trailing 8-6, the Copper Kings came to bat in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, first baseman Cody Bair went to first after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second when left fielder Anthony Matias drew a base on balls.
Shortstop Jacob Amos then singled to load the bases, setting the stage for newly-elected team captain Sterling Shuller to drive in both runners with a single, tying the game at 8-8.
With two out, pinch-hitter Blake berg singled to center field, driving in Amos to end the game.
Bergenstein was the winning pitcher for Copper Kings. Jacob Amos, right fielder Brandon Berg and Sterling Shuller each produced a pair of hits for Bisbee.
After this week's NBC qualifying tournament, Bisbee's Boys of Summer return to Warren Ballpark for a final weekend of play, taking on the El Paso Sun Kings in a pair of exhibition games Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1. Both games are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
The Aug. 1 game, which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Warren Ballpark postponed from July 5, will be preceded by a vintage base ball match set to start at 3:30 p.m. between the Phoenix-based Bisbee Bees and Phoenix Senators. Entertainment for the centennial event begins at 3 p.m. with a performance by the barbershop quartette Waterhole #3. Also scheduled to perform are the 36th Army Band and another musical group to be determined.
For more information about the Copper Kings and for current information about the upcoming PSWBL tournament at Tucson Electric Park, call 732-7325 or visit www.bisbeecopperkings.com.
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