Yuma Catholic baseball falls in championship game for second straight year

Yuma Catholic is unable to overcome Valley Christian once again and fall in the state championship game.

TEMPE, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Valley Christian Trojans defeated the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks 6-0 in the AIA 3A State Championship Game at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Monday.

This was a rematch of last year's state championship game and Valley Christian has now won back-to-back state titles. Yuma Catholic finishes as the runner-up once again. The Shamrocks finish the season 18-3 with all three losses coming to the Trojans.

YC's Erik Topete led off the game with a single. He'd advance over to third, but the Shamrocks couldn't drive him in. Neither team would score through the first two innings. In the third inning, Brayden Waggoner hit an RBI single to give Valley Christian a 1-0.

The Trojans would then pile on three runs in the fourth inning. The Shamrocks would have numerous scoring chances, notably a double from Daniel Ruiz, but they could not get them home. Valley Christian would go on to take the game 6-0 and win the title for the second straight year.

"[Valley Christian] can freaking play," Shamrock head coach Judd Thrower said after the game. "They have D1 players all over the yard. They are just a little better than us today."

Yuma Catholic has won one state baseball championship in school history, coming back in 2006. This was their fourth state title game appearnace.

"It's hard to get here," Thrower said. "Win or lose you need to be proud of what you've done."

Yuma Catholic graduates six seniors from this year's team, including St. Mary's commit and Monday's starter Mickey Fox.

"We've set a standard for this program," Thower said. "It's always hard to say bye to these seniors, especially a guy like Mickey who has started so many big games for us. It's a bittersweet send off for those guys."

No Yuma Catholic team sport has won a state championship since 2018.