The Fountain Hills High School varsity baseball team swept Payson in a doubleheader last week, but their five-game win streak came to an end at Arizona College Prep last Friday, March 11. The Falcons are 5-6 and head coach Bob Langer said he is happy with the progress his team has made up to this point.

“It’s just been a progression from the start,” Langer said. “I’m very happy with the progression from the start to the finish of the first half.”

On Tuesday, March 8, the Falcons traveled to Payson and won 12-1, 12-6. The Falcons needed a few innings, but their offense came alive later in the afternoon. They scored 11 runs in the fifth inning of the first game, and the Falcons had three multirun innings in the second game.

Junior Zack Mendello hit a triple, another hit and brought in three runners in the first game. Fellow Junior Devyn Hernandez had two RBI on two hits. The Falcons had 12 total hits.

Sophomores David Goldapper and Lucas Williams each threw three strikeouts in the first game against the Longhorns. Williams earned the win and pitched three of the five innings. The Falcons only struck out three times in return.

“I think we have defense figured out, and pitching is doing well,” Langer said. “I think they’ll continue to get better.”

Freshman Eli Johnson landed two doubles on three hits in the second game. Sophomore Ty Flynn also hit a double and fellow sophomore Ty Langer hit a triple and had five RBI on two hits. The Falcons had 11 total hits.

Sophomore Nathan Hughes earned the win with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Hughes allowed five runs and senior Brogan Hardison had four strikeouts in 3.2 innings. The Falcons struck out four times against the Longhorns.

The undefeated Knights ended the Falcons’ run last Friday, with Fountain Hills losing 12-2. The Falcons were the first team to score against Arizona College Prep in six games.

Johnson, Langer and Hernandez all hit doubles against Arizona College Prep, and Hernandez and junior Eddie Galvin both brought runners in during the fourth and fifth innings.

The Falcons gave up six runs to the Knights in the second inning, and Langer said they took advantage of the Falcons’ mistakes. Mendello and senior Andy Lloyd were absent from Fridays’ contest, and the Falcons missed those upperclassmen.

The Falcons have relied on young players more than normal this season. Lucas Grieco, Johnson and Cooper Loyet are freshman starters, and Aiden Cronican is a freshman pitcher who “will be a factor for us down the stretch,” according to Langer. Outside of Cronican and senior Brogan Hardison, most of the Falcon pitchers are sophomores.

Goldapper and Hughes each have games with eight or more strikeouts, but Langer said they each allowed several walks between their strikeouts. Every underclassman has to adjust to the speed of varsity, and the pitchers are no different.

“They’re throwers, and right now they’re learning to pitch,” Langer said. “When we give up four 0-2 hits in a game, that’s not good. They don’t realize you can’t just stand up there and blow a ball by a senior three pitches in a row. They’re going to catch up to you, no matter how hard you throw. You have to mix it up.”

The Falcons are adapting well to their new roles, and Langer said they are in a groove right now. Langer is hosting practices four days over spring break to keep his players hitting, but he said that’s optional for the athletes in town.

After spring break, the Falcons travel to San Tan Foothills on Tuesday, March 22, to play at 3:45 p.m. The Falcons then start their region schedule at Chino Valley on Friday, March 25, at 3:45 p.m. The Falcons have 13 more games left in the regular season, and 10 are region outings. Langer said the goal is to win every game they play from here on out and earn a high seed for playoffs.