By Don Ketchum

With a pair of tournaments coming up in the near future, it was imperative that Phoenix Greenway’s young baseball team gain a bit of momentum with a victory over visiting Phoenix Thunderbird on Tuesday night.

The Demons got what they wanted, using six strong innings from sophomore pitcher Tyler Frost and a seventh-inning save from side-arming senior Wyatt Butts for a 5-4 victory.

The win brought Greenway’s record to 4-4. Thunderbird also is 4-4.

“This was a big win for us because of the way we did it, but any win is big when you have a young team,’’ said Greenway coach Matt Denny, referring to his starting lineup that consists largely of underclassmen.

Frost, a right-hander, and his teammates spotted Thunderbird a 3-0 lead after the top of the first. But Greenway pulled even in the bottom of the inning with three runs.

Frost and Thunderbird right-hander Cody Kenna settled down after that.

“Both pitchers did a good job of keeping their composure,’’ Denny said.

Greenway broke through to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth when Cody Wescott led off with a walk, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Zack McDonald.

Wescott also figured prominently in the Demons’ final run in the sixth. He led off with his second double of the game and scored on a bloop single down the right-field line by Joey McDonald.

Thunderbird wasn’t done yet.

Frost struck out the leadoff man in the seventh, then walked Troy Custer. Marcus Wheeler, one of the state’s top hitters, wasted no time by punching a single to right field on the first pitch he saw to score Custer.

Denny called on Butts, who only recently became a closer while beginning to use the three quarters-sidearm delivery. The arm angle is just different enough that it takes opponents awhile to adjust.

Thunderbird didn’t have that much time. Butts got one out on a fielder’s choice and the final out on a grounder to shortstop.

Wescott and Zack McDonald had two hits to lead Greenway, while Wheeler and Alex McGregor had two hits for Thunderbird.