COTTONWOOD — Leadoff hitter Heath Lopez was 5 for 6 with three RBIs, Luke Hewes scored four runs and Flagstaff earned a 17-7 road victory over Grand Canyon region rival Mingus on Thursday afternoon.

A chilly, wind-whipped afternoon in the Verde Valley where snow fell for an hour prior to first pitch in the nearby town of Camp Verde didn’t cool the Eagles’ bats off at all.

In fact, the boys from Flagstaff are used to the cold, having more than 150 inches of snow dumped on them this winter.

“If anything, we should be good hitters. We spend a lot of time inside the dome hitting. We set up machines, set up live. We do whatever we can to get the boys some swings,” Flagstaff skipper Kenny Macias said, adding that strategy doesn’t always translate to defense.

“We have our struggles on the field. When we’re at home, and our turf, we’re pretty solid, but when we get on dirt it gets more challenging,” Macias said.

The Eagles committed two errors Thursday.

Nevertheless, Flagstaff (11-5, 4-0 4A Grand Canyon) has won six straight overall, and are a perfect 7-0 in power point contests.

After taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Lopez’ two-RBI double in the third helped spark a four-run rally and an 8-2 lead.

The Eagles added four more in the fourth and five more in the seventh thanks to an RBI by Hewes and another two-RBI single by Lopez, making it a 17-4 affair.

Other standouts for Flagstaff at the dish included Nick Lopez, who was 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored, while Will Carpenter was 2 for 5 with three RBIs.

Jake Carpenter was 3 for 4 with three runs scored and three RBIs.

For Mingus, Xzayvier Buckner was 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, while Ben Behlow was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

Coy Miller added two hits and Landon Mcquirk scored twice in the loss.

MINGUS REBUILD

The Marauders (5-11, 2-2 4A Grand Canyon) lost eight seniors to graduation and have only four returning varsity players.

“We’re trying to put together some pieces,” Mingus head coach Erick Quesada said.

After watching his team commit five errors Thursday, Mingus head coach Erick Quesada said his club needs to tighten things up defensively.

“Today, we put up enough runs to win a ball game, but on the flip side you have to have a defense behind you and pitching behind you that doesn’t give up 17 runs,” Quesada said. “They capitalized on errors and kudos to them for doing so.”

The Marauders (5-11, 2-2 4A Grand Canyon) lost both games to Flagstaff this week, the other a 11-1 loss on March 28.

UP NEXT

Mingus will host Coconino (5-9, 0-2 4A Grand Canyon) on April 3. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m.

Flagstaff is scheduled to travel to Cactus on April 3. First pitch is 3:45 p.m.

The Eagles and rival Bradshaw Mountain are atop the Grand Canyon region at the moment. The two clubs hook up twice, the first is April 14 in Flagstaff, the second a 7 p.m. start in Prescott Valley on April 17.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.