Josh Amick is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover McClintock for AZPreps365.com

A big third and seventh inning powered Paradise Valley to a 15-2 win over McClintock on Tuesday.

It was a mixture of timely hitting and untimely errors. With a chance to get out of the third unscathed, the Chargers committed an error that kept Paradise Valley’s inning alive. A hit batsman and walk led to a bases-clearing double by senior Jaden Ralston, who was thrown out at third to end the inning. 

Some of these miscues can be attributed to McClintock’s young roster. Freshman Alex Nemecek started the game for McClintock and is one of six freshmen on the roster.

“The HBPs, the passed balls and the error at third base with two outs in the third were huge,” McClintock coach Larry Patterson said. “That inning doesn’t determine the whole game, but if we make that play at third, none of those five runs happen.”

The Chargers battled back in their half of the third inning, scoring two runs to cut the lead to 5-2, on a bases-loaded wild pitch and a fielder's choice.

“I feel like when the other team starts scoring runs on us, we start to get down on ourselves,” senior second baseman Kiran Means said. “We are working on that and trying to keep the morale up.”

“We get in our heads too much,” sophomore utility player Javier Alvarado said. “Once we get in our own heads, it’s all downhill from there.”

This is a testament to a Chargers roster that does not have a lot of experience. The varsity team has only four seniors. 

“COVID really took a toll on this program and the development of these younger players,” Patterson said. “We have a lot of freshmen on the team that should be playing junior varsity or freshman ball, but we just don’t have the numbers to fill out a roster.”

The lack of athletes and students at McClintock is one of the reasons it recently moved to a smaller region. In years past, the Chargers were in the same region as schools with over 3,000 students, compared to McClintock’s roughly 1,800 students. 

“We are hanging onto 5A (region) for whatever reason,” Patterson said. “I think we are more suited for 4A, but that is not my call.”

McClintock is unique because it has only a varsity baseball team. Whether it is due to the effects of COVID, or the lack of athletes playing baseball, the Chargers don’t have a chance to develop their players through school.

“Some of those teams in East Valley had 80 athletes trying out, we had 28,” Patterson said. “These kids are trying their best but you have to put the time in to learn and play the game before you get to this level.”

With the recent move to 5A Metro, the Chargers hope to be more competitive after finishing last year 0-10 in regional play in Northeast Valley. However, development and building a foundation for their program will ultimately be the measurement of success.

“We are trying to set the balance going forward where we are getting day-by-day improvement,” Patterson said. “Our opponents don't really factor in as much as our performance.”

McClintock will look to win its next game when it hosts the Horizon Huskies at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at Jim Merrick field.