11uD1 FAZE Baseball stays undefeated and confident

By Bradey King

After not one but two 7-6 nail-biter victories earlier in the day, FAZE Baseball (CA) won game three against the Nogales Outlaws (AZ) in a more graceful fashion, 11-3, to remain undefeated in 11uD1 action at the Arizona Spring Championships on Saturday.

After three full innings, the teams were tied at three, though it didn’t stay that way for long. FAZE bats came alive in the top of four as they produced five hits, six runs and took advantage of two Outlaws fielding errors. 

“I keep telling these boys day in and day out the bats have to show up, and they finally showed up,” said FAZE head coach Mark Mercado. “Hopefully they’ll bring their A-game again tomorrow.”

Leading the offensive efforts for FAZE was Jason Dunham and Jayden Vazquez with two hits apiece. Andrew Rodriquez also tacked on two RBI. 

Vazquez’s highlight came in the fifth when he smacked a fastball over the left-centerfield fence. Although it wasn’t his first career home run, it was his first in Arizona, which he said was exciting. 

“I was kind of expecting an outside pitch but as soon as I saw it going right down the middle, I just sent it,” Vazquez said. 

Vazquez was also a threat as a closer on the mound as he utilized the solid defense behind him and threw strikes to catcher, Jason Dunham. 

Dunham’s quick release and strong arm threw out two Outlaws runners trying to steal and ultimately helped hold the Outlaws scoreless the rest of the game. 

“I feel like our infield and pitching was good,” Dunham said. “I like it (catching position) because I control the game mostly, and if somebody runs on me and I get them out, it feels good.” 

Dunham also added that he’s “100 percent confident” his team will head back to California tomorrow with the Arizona Spring Championships trophy in hand. The FAZE squad is the No. 2 seed in the eight-team bracket.