Discovery Canyon outlasts Falcon in early showdown

It didn’t take long for two of the area’s best teams to deliver a classic.

With two outs in the final frame, Discovery Canyon relief pitcher McKenzie Surface stranded two runners as Falcon’s Moira Wells flied out to center as ‘The Purple’ powered to a 12-10 win.

Surface led the Thunder’s comeback Monday and closed the door on host Falcon.

“I feel confident out there,” the sophomore said. “I always have a great team behind me.”

Surface drove in four runs, pitched six innings of relief and recorded the last out.

“I thought I got it,” said Wells of her fly ball. “It felt good off the bat.”

Surface on the other end, never flinched

“I knew the outfield would get it,” she said. “I was confident they would.”

Surface drove in the game’s first two runs off Cora Buechner, who pitched a complete game, and the Thunder pushed their lead to 4-1 going into the bottom of the second.

A lot changed in the second as Falcon scored five runs and chased starter Kacee Schroeder.

“When you play like that you usually won’t win,” Thunder coach Tanya Ramsey said. “Luckily we found a way today.”

Each team added a pair of runs going into the sixth. In the inning, last year’s 4A Colorado Springs Metro League Player of the Year, Taryn Arcarese, had an RBI single that cut the deficit to one. Falcon scored twice in the bottom of the frame and led 10-7.

“We had to fight back,” Ramsey said.

Discovery Canyon’s Emily Selby had an RBI in the seventh and then No. 9 hitter Shyloh Grover tripled in two to tie the score at 10. Shelby Hetzel then knocked in the go-ahead run and fittingly Surface hit a sacrifice fly to give herself a two-run cushion headed to the bottom of the inning.

“I feel like there are a lot of games that are going to be like that in the (Pikes Peak League),” Ramsey said. “It’s going to be a fight all season ... there are a lot of good teams in Colorado Springs.”