With two more wins over the past week, the Patagonia High baseball team solidified its chances for a state tournament berth, but there is still work to be done.
The Lobos stretched their winning streak to three with a 10-7 victory at Baboquivari on Thursday and a 7-4 victory over San Simon on Monday. The wins improved their record to 8-7 and moved them up to 12th in the 1A rankings. The top 16 teams qualify for the state tournament, which the Lobos haven’t achieved since 2021.
Patagonia has three games remaining in the regular season, starting with tonight’s home finale against 11th-ranked Duncan (12-4) at 6 p.m. The Lobos finish up their schedule with road games at ninth-ranked St. David (8-5) on Friday and 17th-ranked Fort Thomas (4-6) next Monday.
Freshman Troy Hawkins was the starting pitcher in the win over Baboquivari, giving up three runs in four and one-third innings. Junior Kannon Shore started against San Simon and struck out nine while giving up four runs in four and one-third innings. Senior Noah Gallardo got the final eight outs without allowing a hit.
With eight wins, the Lobos already have more victories than any Patagonia team dating back to 2012, which is as far back as is available on the AZPreps website.