Arizona
Pac-12 Baseball Tournament: Arizona rallies to walk off USC, take conference’s final title
SCOTTSDALE—If this happened to be the first time all season you watched Arizona baseball—perhaps because you didn’t get the Pac-12 Network?—you’re in luck: this is how it’s been all year.
Tommy Splaine’s single to left scored Emilio Corona from 2nd base in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving the Wildcats a 4-3 win over USC in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game at Scottsdale Stadium.
“We did it again,” Corona said after the UA’s eighth walkoff victory this season.
Seven of those have come against conference opponents, including last week’s 4-3 win over Oregon State to clinch the regular season title. Arizona is now 10-9 in 1-run games this season.
“My heart can’t take too many of these more, but that’s how this team has been,” coach Chip Hale said. “We’ve kind of scrapped, found ways to win, found ways to score runs late.”
Arizona (36-21) was down 3-0 entering the bottom of the 7th, but that only told half the story. The Wildcats were getting no-hit through six by USC sophomore Caden Aoki, who despite pitching on three days’ rest had the UA offense completely overmatched. He struck out eight of the first 18 batters he faced, the only baserunner reaching on a fielding error.
All that changed in the 7th when, with 1 out, Mason White broke up the no-no with a solid single, then Maddox Mihalakis worked a 10-pitch walk to chase Aoki. The last pitch got away from the USC catcher, allowing White to go to 3rd, and he scored on a Blake McDonald sacrifice fly to get the UA on the board.
Arizona tied it in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single from Brendan Summerhill and a sacrifice fly by Garen Caulfield. That rally began with a single by Splaine, the only player in the game with two hits, and for the tourney he was 5 for 15 after coming in hitting .228.
“It’s funny because Tommy can have some at-bats where there are strikeouts and he’s not doing much,” Hale said. “But it seems like when the the game’s on the line he has his best at-bats.”
Arizona having a chance to win the game wasn’t possible without senior right-hander Cam Walty, who a week after going 8.1 innings in the regular season finale against OSU tossed eight against USC. He allowed three runs and five hits, three of which could have been caught had UA outfielders not misplayed balls in the wind earlier in the game.
Anthony ‘Tonko’ Susac came in for the ninth and got three groundouts, setting the stage for the walkoff.
McDonald singled with 1 out and was run for by Corona, who has been unable to hit or play the field since taking a pitch on his right hand on May 16. The team’s leading base stealer swiped 2nd on the first pitch to Andrew Cain.
“We had the one out, got him on, and basically just said, hey, if you get a jump, go,” Hale said. “He’s an elite baserunner.”
After Cain was intentionally walked, Splaine then deposited a 2-1 pitch into left and Corona never broke stride rounding third before sliding headfirst across home plate just ahead of the throw.
“I just really wanted to pull through for our team,” Splaine said. “I didn’t have a great two first at-bats. I was just sitting off speed there.”
USC (31-28) built its 3-0 lead by taking advantage of shaky defense from Arizona. The first run came in the 3rd on a double to deep center that turned Summerhill around and went over his head, and in the 4th got back-to-back triples on balls right fielder Easton Breyfogle misplayed before a legit RBI double.
“This was really scary early,” Hale said. “The at-bats were not great, the defense was not great and we stuck with it. And again, it’s all predicated on our starting pitching. When those guys keep us in the game we’ll have a chance.”
Arizona earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be its fourth consecutive trip, which was last accomplished in the 1960s. The 64-team tourney field will be announced Monday morning, but Sunday at 5:30 p.m. the NCAA will begin tweeting out the 16 regional host sites.
With an RPI of 31, the UA’s chances of being one of those are slim. The selection committee has traditionally given those to teams in the top 16, or within a spot or two.
“That’s obviously not my decision, and whatever they want to do with us is perfectly fine with us,” Corona said. “We just want to keep playing ball and keep playing with this group. This is a special group and I don’t think anyone wants it to be done anytime soon.”
Arizona
Arizona’s Rugged Wilderness Area Has Gorgeous Mountain Trails And Scenic Camping Spots – Islands
While those who haven’t spent a lot of time exploring Arizona may associate the Grand Canyon State with towering saguaro cacti and endless stretches of barren, moon-like landscapes, that description, though accurate, does not tell the complete story. Because located within the Tonto and Coconino National Forests is 252,500 acres of rugged wilderness that, in addition to cacti and desert, also includes pine forests, snow-dusted mountain peaks, and the Verde River, Arizona’s only designated Wild River Area.
Called the Mazatzal Wilderness Area, and spanning from the brush-covered Sonoran Desert to the tip of the 7,903-foot Mazatzal Peak and beyond, the area became a designated wilderness in 1940. It has since become known for its diverse, rugged scenery that includes steep ridges, narrow canyons, riparian habitats, and 240 miles of hiking trails, many of which are too craggy and steep for mountain bikes and horses. The trails are gorgeous, however, offering sweeping forest and mountain views as well as several scenic camping spots along creeks and ridgelines of wildflowers. Mazatzal, which gets its name from an Aztec word that means “land inhabited by deer,” is home to mule deer and whitetails as well as bald eagles, river otters, bears, and kit foxes, among other wildlife.
Mazatzal is unique in that it combines a rich network of diverse ecosystems into one expansive wilderness area, allowing you to swim in a cactus-lined river or cool off in an icy mountain waterfall. Just two hours from Phoenix, Mazatzal offers access to remote wilderness you can experience without having to venture too far from the comforts of urban life.
Mazatzal Wilderness Area is a backpacker’s paradise
The more than 40 hiking trails at Mazatzal offer breathtaking Tonto National Forest scenery full of unforgettable wildlife and panoramic views. “…This ‘secret’ area has some of the most beautiful, interesting, fascinating geography, geology, flora and fauna to be found anywhere in the high Sonora Desert,” writes a reviewer on TripAdvisor. “You’re almost guaranteed to see not a single other person for your entire hike, but you’ll see birds, snakes, lizards, range cattle, desert bighorn sheep and who-knows-what other animals while getting a sense of what it must have been like a hundred years and more ago, the natural environment almost absent [of] the effects of human beings.” One of the most popular hikes includes the moderate, 6.2-mile Barnhardt Trail Waterfall, where the sound of birds singing will be your soundtrack as you hike through lush vegetation punctuated by red rocks and jagged cliffs to lookout points with sweeping views of the hazy rolling hills and olive-green forests below. A seasonal waterfall is your reward at the end. “Barnhardt trail is an absolute must, one of the top 5 classic hikes in Arizona,” says a reviewer on a forum for Backpacking Light.
Although gorgeous, many of the trails are challenging, with cat claw plants that snag on your clothing, treacherously steep inclines, and rocky, overgrown terrain where you can twist an ankle if you’re not careful. Portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail pass through the wilderness area, too, with the Arizona National Scenic Trail ranking number six in the list of the 11 U.S. National Scenic Hiking Trails ranked by difficulty.
Mazatzal offers primitive and dispersed camping throughout the wilderness area that can serve adventure-seeking backpackers and multi-day hikers with a remote wilderness camping experience. None of the campsites have toilets or any other facilities and all campers are encouraged to follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out all waste. Although glamping this is not, the campsites offer scenic views of ponderosa pine canyons and fire-red mountain ridges. For those looking looking to RV or car camp, Mazatzal is about a 40-minute drive from Payson, a high-elevation Arizona lakeside town where you can camp at one of the full-service campgrounds as well as shop, dine, and gamble at the Mazatzal Casino.
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A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
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