Urban lifts Aggies over Bengals

Nick Urban was in Arbor View baseball coach Robert Salazar’s doghouse after a mistake during Tuesday’s win over Valley.
It’s safe to say the junior outfielder played his way out on Wednesday.

Urban drove in four runs, including a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the top of the eighth inning that lifted the visiting Aggies to a 5-2 win over Bonanza.

“He came back strong,” Salazar said. “It’s like we teach the kids, learn from your mistakes and move on. He’s a program kid, someone the community and school can be real proud to have on the team.”

Urban finished 2-for-4 and busted open what had been a duel between Bengals starter Mario Franzese and Arbor View’s Buddy Borden.

After Arbor View’s Chris Manning and Josh Arnold were each hit by a pitch, Bonanza coach Derek Stafford brought in lefty Hunter Davidson to pitch to the left-handed Urban.

But the Aggies’ No. 8 hitter turned on a 1-1 offering and sent it into the right-center-field gap. Manning and Arnold scored easily, and Urban slid in safely just ahead of the relay throw.

“I was looking middle-away, and he threw it inside,” Urban said. “When I first hit it and I rounded first base I knew I could make it to (third). When I was about to touch (third), my coach waved me home, and that’s when I turned it on.”

Urban’s heroics bailed out the Aggies (4-0), who stranded nine runners and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the seventh before Franzese escaped the jam.

“It’s good to win a game like that,” said Salazar, whose team was playing its third game in as many days. “The thing I’m proud of is the kids didn’t quit.”

Franzese kept Bonanza (1-4) in it thanks to his six strong innings. The 6-foot-3-inch junior scattered six hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out seven.

Borden was equally effective as he gave up just four hits and two runs in seven innings to go along with nine strikeouts.

“The kids battled. It was anyone’s game,” Bengals coach Derek Stafford said. “Like I told them, we’re going to have 16 of those games in league.”

Bonanza led 1-0 on a run-scoring double in the second inning by Ted Merich before Borden settled down. The junior retired nine of 10 at one point with the only Bengals runner reaching on a dropped third strike.

Arbor View took the lead in the fourth as Colton Hinricksen singled and scored on Jacob Badger’s RBI double. Two outs later, Urban smoked a double to deep center that scored Badger to make it 2-1.

“I feel like I can get on and help my team out,” Urban said. “I like hitting eighth. There’s a little bit less pressure, and you see more fastballs. I get better pitches to hit.”

Bonanza was able to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth as junior Kris Bryant tripled to deep right and scored two batters later on

Franzese’s single up the middle. But the Bengals had runners picked off first base in the sixth and eighth innings to thwart potential rallies.

“We had a chance to win it,” Stafford said. “It’s a tough loss for sure.”