Phoenix, AZ- Junior outfielder Gary Sheffield sparked the Firestorm on Friday as his 4-4, two doubles, three runs, and two RBI performance led to an 8-3 win over Hope International.  Junior Bobby Moretti labored through six innings but still recorded the win.

In the second inning, two of the first three ACU batters reached- one on an error and the other was a single by Senior Harris Lyons.  An RBI groundout by Junior Michael Dunnebecke and RBI single from Sheffield made it a 2-0 game.

After runners were left stranded at second and third in the third, the Firestorm (24-20, 13-14 GSAC) pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Dunnebecke doubled on a shot into the right field corner, Sheffield singled him home and then stole second, and Junior Dom Rodriguez cashed in Sheffield with a single for a 4-0 edge.

The Royals (23-14, 14-10 GSAC) scored two in the fifth thanks to RBI singles from Justin Broussard and Brandon Gonzalez to create a 4-2 score.

Senior Hector Ortiz walked for the second time in the game and trotted home on a deep sacrifice fly by Senior Jake Howard that was caught at the wall.

Moretti gave up one more run in the sixth- his final inning of work.  He threw 97 pitches to account for those 18 outs.  Walks (5) and hit batters (2) contributed in a big way to his pitch count.  But he still left with a 5-3 lead.

Arizona Christian added insurance runs to make sure Moretti stayed in line for the win.  Dunnebecke was hit by a pitch and Sheffield bounced a kangaroo hop ball just over the third baseman's head and legged out a double.  Junior Marco Castilla doubled down the right line to easily score the speedsters Dunnebecke and Sheffield.  In the eighth, Sheffield doubled again and scored the game's final run on a double play.

Senior Joel Klinkhammer tossed the final three innings- allowing just a walk and a hit- to earn the save.

The slim playoff hopes are still alive for ACU with the win.  It appears the Firestorm must win their final two GSAC games and The Master's (currently on an eight game win streak) must fall in their final five GSAC games for Arizona Christian to qualify for post season.

On Saturday, Arizona Christian and Hope International will conclude their series with a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 am at Firestorm Field.