8/11/2025-The Tucson Saguaros overcame a late one-run deficit by scoring four times in the eighth inning and held on to top the visiting San Rafael Pacifics, 16-13, Sunday night at Kino Stadium in Arizona to tie the 2025 Pecos League Championship Series at one win apiece in a good old-fashioned shootout that saw the two teams combine for 29 runs on 34 hits while sending eleven men to the mound.

The Pacifics drew first blood with two runs in the top of the second inning when Mark Hernandez came around from first to score on a double off Tucson starter Jaymon Cervantes by Fred Buckson, who later crossed the plate on Keith Whitaker's single. John Bicos subsequently brought in both Whitaker and Aki Buckson with a two-run double to make it a 4-0 San Rafael lead. The Saguaros scored three in the bottom of the second as veteran Pacifics starter Alex Valasek struggled with his control and balked in both Antonio Fernandez and Brian Ledezma before serving up an RBI single to Marquise Wood.

The two sides exchanged two-run frames in the third as RBI singles from San Rafael's Hernandez and Payton Rios in the top of the inning were answered by similar safeties from the Saguaros' Anthony Manisero and Mike Whalen in the bottom, chasing Valasek in the process, to cut the visitors' lead to 6-5. After Manisero drove in Wood for Tucson in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game, the Saguaros broke loose with five runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to create a 12-6 advantage. San Rafael did not lay down, however, putting three runs on the scoreboard (two on a Jorge Rios-Lopez single) and loading the bases with one out before Tucson closer Ian Lanik made an early entrance to the mound.

Lanik received a rude greeting from the Pacifics' Gino Hutchinson, who drilled his first pitch for a two-run double. One out later, Chris Wright repeated Hutchinson's feat by rapping a two-run two-bagger of his own to cap a seven-run seventh as San Rafael regained the lead, 13-12, but Tucson put together four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead back and Treshon Paschal retired the Pacifics side in order in the ninth to close out the comeback Saguaros victory.

Wood led the Saguaros with three hits and three RBIs and Jacob Elizondo also had three hits with two ribbies while Wright, Hernandez and Fred Buckson combined for nine hits and four RBIs on San Rafael's behalf. Jesse Palafox tossed a scoreless eighth to earn the win for Tucson while outfielder Aki Buckson was pressed into relief duties and gave up the four Cacti runs in the eighth to suffer the loss for the Pacifics.

The third and deciding game of the best-of-three title series is scheduled for Kino Stadium on Monday night at 7:00PM local time.