Game 1 vs Tonopah at Glendale Community College
North Pointe fell in the season opener to Tonopah 9- 5 after a slow start. The Falcons battled back in the 6th and 7th innings but it wasn’t enough to come
back from the large deficit. Black Stine had 5 strikeouts and was relieved by Alan Garcia,and Jake Effron. Sophomore Garcia was consistent at bat going 4-4
with 2 RBI. Freshmen Wes Metzendorf had an excellent game at bat with 2 singles and 1 RBI.
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Game 2 vs Camp Verde at Northwest Christian
Blake Stine pitched the first four innings for the Falcons, striking out 4 and giving up 1 earned run on 3 hits.  Jacob Effron finished off the last three innings
with 1 strikeout and 3 earned runs on 5 hits.  A total of 7 runs were unearned due to the 13 fielding errors the Falcons committed.  Zach Bustoz had a late
game single that drove in 2 runs; Julio Lozano, pinch-runner, showed a lot of hustle by scoring from 2nd base on Zach's single after sliding hard into the
catcher at homeplate. Driving in 1 run each with a single were Wes Metzendorf and Andrew Sanders.

Game 3 at Estrella Foothills
The Falcons held on to a 2 run lead going into the bottom of the 7th inning to beat Estrella Foothills 6-4 on Friday night under the lights. Alan Garcia pitched
6 innings giving up 4 runs, only 2 of them earned. Jacob Effron closed the game by holding the opponents tying run on base with only one out; he caused the
last two batters to fly-out. Alan Garcia also drove in 4 RBI's at the plate, two of them off of a double in the top of the 7th inning which eventually were the
winning runs. Blake Stine went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 runs, Andrew Sanders drove in 2 RBI's, and Darian Caulkins went 2 for 3 and scored 3 runs.
Sanders ended the game by catching a foul ball behind home plate while falling backwards and landing flat on his back, an example of the type of hard-fought
game that it was.

Game 4 at Bourgade
The Falcons lost to Bourgade Catholic 10-2 in 7 innings. Blake Stine started pitching, striking out 3 and giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs, but it wasn't
enough as the Falcons gave up 4 unearned runs with Stine on the hill.  Jacob Effron got the offense off to an early start with a 2-run HomeRun over the
left/center fence in the top of the 1st inning, but that was all the scoring the Falcons would do.  Darian Caulkins went 3 for 3 with 2 singles and a double, and
was on base for Effron's HR. Effron closed the game pitching the final 3 innings striking out 2 and giving up 6 hits and 1 earned run; 3 unearned runs were
also scored on Effron.

Game 5 vs South Pointe at Glendale Community College
The Falcons got off to a good start on Tuesday's game vs. South Pointe, scoring 4 runs in the 1st inning.  Alan Garcia had a double off the outfield wall for an
RBI, and Jacob Effron scored 2 RBI with his sacrifice fly to deep right field. South Pointe was quick to tie it back up and go on to take a 10-4 lead. Garcia
pitched the first 5 innings striking out 3.  Jesse Rico came in to close out the pitching for the final 2 innings giving up 4 hits and striking out 2 batters.  North
Pointe rallied in the bottom of the 7th inning scoring 3 runs.  Blake Stine helped get it started by mashing a triple out to left center and
knocking in 2 runs, and Jacob Effron repeated his sacrifice fly for another RBI, but the Falcons fell short 10-7.  
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Game 6 at Scottsdale Christian
Jacob Effron pitched a complete game and allowed a mere 5 hits and struck out 5, giving up 5 earned runs. Jesse Rico lead-off the batting order and went 2
for 4 with an RBI, scoring twice himself.  Alan Garcia went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Wes Metzendorf went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.  The Falcons
led for a good portion of the game, but lost the lead in the 5th inning and could not gain it back.

Game 7 at Northwest Christian
North Pointe was defeated by Northwest Christian in 6 innings, 12-2.  Blake Stine started on the hill for the Falcons, striking out 6 and giving up 4 hits in 2 and
2/3 innings pitched.  Jesse Rico closed out the 3rd inning relieving Stine. The Falcons 2 runs were scored in the 3rd inning on a 2-run shot over the left-
center fence by Alan Garcia with Stine on base.  The only other offense North Pointe generated was in the 6th inning when Matt Arellano tried to get a rally
started with a stand-up triple hit into the corner of right field. Andrew Sanders threw the final 3 innnings giving up 2 hits and 2 earned runs, striking out 3.
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Game 8 vs Sedona at Glendale Community College
North Pointe was defeated by Sedona Red Rock 12-1 in 6 innings; it was tied 1-1 going into the top of the 6th inning.  Alan Garcia pitched all but the last out
of the game, 5 2/3 innings. Garcia did not walk any batters, the biggest hit given up was a double, and he threw 2 strike outs.  Jacob Effron relieved for the
final out. 5 different Falcons had one single each, with Jesse Rico scoring the lone run after reaching 1st on a walk and working his way his way around all the
bases on passed balls and stolen bases.

Game 9 vs Westwind at Glendale Community College
The Falcons cruised past Westwind Prep 29-1 with Blake Stine pitching a near perfect game.  Stine threw a complete game with 12 strikeouts, no
hits, and just one run scored unearned.  North Pointe had an active day at the plate led by Darian Caulkins' 2 home runs; one inside-the-park, one over the
left field fence. Blake Stine also had an inside-the-park home run. Zach Bustoz and Jesse Rico each doubled with shots to the outfield fences, knocking in
multiple RBI's.
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Game 10 vs Horizon Honors at Moon Valley
North Pointe won their second game in a row against Horizon Honors, 17-7 in 6 innings.  The game got off to an offensive start, tied 7-7 after
just 2 innings.  Jacob Effron pitched a complete game striking out 6 batters, giving up only 3 earned runs.  Zach Bustoz helped spark the offense going 4 for 4
with 2 RBI's and scoring 3 runs. Caleb Arliskas helped build-up the Falcons lead with 2 RBI's on 2 hits. Blake Stine and Darian Caulkins continued their solid
hitting with 2 hits and 3 RBI's each.  The offense of Bustoz and Arliskas, both upperclassmen, inspired sophomore Alan Garcia to also go 4 for 4 with 4 RBI's,
including his walk-off triple that scored the game-ending 3 runs.

Game 11 at Tonopah
North Pointe continued their winning streak and defeated Tonopah Valley 13-4, led by some early offense and Alan Garcia on the hill.  Garcia gave up just 7
hits and struck out 3, pitching a complete game against the same Tonopah team that scored 9 runs on the Falcons in the first game of the season. Senior
Jacob Effron led the offense going 4 for 4 and knocking in 6 RBI's, 3 of those earned with his 5th inning shot over the left field fence for his 2nd home run of
the season. Andrew Sanders followed Effron's leadership with 3 RBI's of his own, going 3 for 4 with a double down the right field line. Alan Garcia and Darian
Caulkins both had multiple hits in the game.
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Game 12 at Valley Christian
North Pointe's 3-game winning streak came to an end at Valley Christian, as the Falcons lost 7-2. Blake Stine pitched a solid game striking out 6
batters, allowing just 6 hits and 6 runs, 5 earned.  Jacob Effron continued his hitting streak by drilling a one-hopper over the right field fence for a ground-rule
double in his first at bat; Effron finished the game 2 for 2 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Trying to keep pace with Effron was Zach Bustoz and Blake Stine, each
doubling, and Andrew Sanders batted in an RBI.
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Game 13 at Tempe Prep
It took 8 innings and a total 38 runs scored between North Pointe Prep vs. Tempe Prep before the Falcons were able to earn their fourth win in five games.  
The big finish came with Jacob Effron's 3-run walk-off Home Run bomb that sailed over the left center fence; Effron hit his first Home Run of the game in the
bottom of the 7th to bring the Falcons within one run, 16-17.  Two batters later, Andrew Sanders was facing 2 stikes and 2 outs when he blasted a Home Run
of his own to tie the game at 17-17. Effron finished with 7 RBI's.  Zach Bustoz got hot with 4 hits in 5 at bats, drilling 2 doubles to the fence, and a crucial 6
RBI's. Blake Stine and Darian Caulkins each went 3 for 4, Stine with a double and 3 RBI's.  The Falcons used a handful of pitchers to fend off Tempe Prep,
Jacob Effron led the way pitching the first 2 innings giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, and striking out 2.  Jesse Rico came in to relieve Effron, followed by Andrew
Sanders and then Alan Garcia.  Sanders gave up just 2 hits and struck out 4, while Garcia earned the win by closing out the final 2 and 2/3 innings.  

Game 14 at Phoenix Country Day
North Pointe Prep was outplayed by Phoenix Country Day School and lost 10-0 in 6 innings.  After 1 inning the score was 0-0 and the teams seemed evenly
matched.  PCDS broke it open with a homerun to start the 2nd inning and never looked back.  Alan Garcia pitched 5 of the 6 innings, striking out 2 and
allowing 5 earned runs on 5 hits.  Garcia also led the offense with his 2 hits; Darian Caulkins and Blake Stine also provided a little offense, each with a
double.  Jacob Effron pitched the final inning, striking out 1 and giving up 2 hits.    

Game 15 at Phoenix Christian
The North Pointe Falcons needed 8 innings but finally finished-off the Phoenix Christian Cougars. It was a must-win game for both teams vying for a playoff
spot, which is why the Falcons never gave up after trailing the entire game until their last at-bat.  Blake Stine began the game pitching, throwing for 1 and 1/3
innings and striking out 3. Meanwhile, Zach Bustoz and Wes Metzendorf were hitting-in RBI's to keep the score close in the early innings. Jacob Effron came
in to relieve Stine from the hill, and Effron closed the game. He finished with 3 strike outs and gave up a mere 4 hits, shutting out the Cougars in the final 3
innings. Stine earned some redemption at the plate with a 2-run double down the left field line, also getting on base two other times to steal 3 bases and get
home twice. Bustoz contributed some much-needed offense by tying the game in the bottom of the 7th with an RBI single.
That left it all up to Mr.Clutch, Jacob Effron, to come through with yet another game-winning walk-off hit in the bottom of the 8th inning. Other contributions
included Alan Garcia going 3 for 4 and Darian Caulkins with an RBI plus solid defense in the outfield.   
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Game 16 at Arizona Lutheran
In the final regular season game, a must-win to get into the playoffs, North Pointe outhit and outscored Arizona Lutheran Academy 22-12 in 5 innings. Alan
Garcia got the start and threw a scoreless first 2 innings to allow the Falcons to build an early lead.  Jesse Rico set the tone for the offense with a lead-off
double off the right field wall, and he scored soon after as North Pointe went up 3-0 in the 1st.  The offense picked right back up in the 2nd inning, capped off
with a 2-run Home Run by Jake Effron to make it 7-0 after 2 innings. Heavy winds began to blow out to right field, and A.L.A. mounted a comeback to come
within 1 run after 4 innings. Garcia didn't need any help from the wind on his Grand Slam bomb in the 3rd inning, but he did get some help from Blake Stine
on the mound to close-out the final 2 innings. A 9-run 5th inning re-established a comfortable lead for the Falcons and was due to big hits from Wes
Metzendorf, Effron, and Garcia.  A.L.A. went 3-up-3-down to end the game thanks to a strikeout and two pop-ups due to Stine's hurling. The win put North
Pointe into the first-round of the playoffs.

Round One of Playoffs vs Wilcox at Tempe Diablo Stadium
In the 1st round of the playoffs #21 North Pointe faced #12 Wilcox at Tempe Diablo Stadium with a "home-field" atmosphere due to van loads of North Pointe
student-fans in attendance. They all got their money's worth in a hard fought game, but the Falcons came up just 1 run short losing 3-2. Senior Jacob Effron
pitched all 7 innings in what would be his final game as a Falcon.  Effron limited Wilcox to ground-outs and fly-outs for the majority of the game, giving up just
2 earned runs on 5 hits. North Pointe outhit Wilcox, with offensive contributions coming from Alan Garcia (Single, RBI), Darian Caulkins (2 for 2), Blake Stine
(1 for 1, 1 run), Zach Bustoz (Single), and Andrew Sanders (Single). The Falcons went scoreless in the top of the 7th inning, which opened the door for
Wilcox to score the winning run on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th. This was also the final game played as a Falcon for Senior Caleb Arliskas.  
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Varsity Baseball 2009-2010 Game Summaries
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