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Welcome to the home of the
Sunnyslope High School Vikings Varsity Baseball
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Welcome to the unofficial website of the Sunnyslope High School varsity baseball team. Sunnyslope is a 4A school located at 35 West Dunlap, Phoenix, Arizona. We are dedicated to providing in depth reports on the Viking's season. This website contains complete game schedules, maps showing the location of away games, game results and stories, and individual game and season cumulative batting, fielding, base running and pitching statistics. The team area also has player biograpies, pictures and statistics.
Sunnyslope Loses Second Round State Championship Playoff Game to Arcadia 3 - 0May 9, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. The over-achieving Vikings ended their season on the wrong side of a two hitter. Dave Evans pitched a sterling four hit and one earned run complete game, but SHS's misplays in the field allowed Arcadia to steal a pitcher's duel. Phil Band and Mike Nixon got the Viking's two hits.
It was one of those days when the baseball gods frowned on Sunnyslope. The Vikings' fans would never have guessed that SHS would be shut out. Sunnyslope averaged 7.6 runs a game and had scored 95 runs in its previous seven games. There is a saying in baseball that good pitching beats good hitting, and it was true tonight.
SHS couldn't buy a break. In the fourth Band drew a walk. Ricky Keyt brought the Sunnyslope fans to their feet with a towering fly ball 365 feet to the wall in the right center gap, but the ball was caught a few feet from going out. Had the trajectory been slightly less steep, the score would have been tied at 2 - 2 and mo would have changed. Band then stole second. Nixon slammed a rocket down the first base line for what would have been a run scoring double or triple, but the first baseman made a leaping catch to end the inning and dash the Vikings' hopes. The loss eliminated Sunnyslope from the playoffs for the state championship.
Vikings Down Lake Havasu 12 - 6 for Skyline Region First Seed in the State PlayoffsMay 6, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. The Vikings showed they are a gutsy team after they gave up 5 ugly runs to Lake Havasu in the top of the first in a battle for the number one Skyline Region seed in the state playoff tournament that starts May 8th. Matt Ricci won his 8th game and SHS soundly defeated Lake Havasu 12 – 6.
The fired up Knights' four hits coupled with three Viking errors in the first put SHS behind the eight ball in a hurry. However, neither the fans nor the team worried because they knew that the Vikings can score and score and score. Veteran senior Ricky Keyt got things started in the bottom of the first when he walked and scored the first of his four runs on Matt Lee’s single. Dave Evans followed with a run scoring double that drove in Nixon (his first of 4 runs scored). Most of the SHS fans believed that Evans ball actually went over the fence and should have been a home run. Coach Carlberg lost the argument with the second base umpire and the Vikings settled for 3 runs in the bottom of the first to end the inning down only by two.
Neither team scored in the second. After holding LHHS in the top of the third, Keyt lead off with the first of his two hits for the night. Keyt stole second and scored on Mike Nixon’s triple (his first of two hits). Dave Evans singled to score Nixon and tie the game at five apiece. SHS again held Lake Havasu scoreless in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth Keyt and Nixon repeated their third inning combo. Keyt singled, stole second and scored on Nixon’s single. Nixon stole second and Lee doubled to knock Nixon in.
After Lake Havasu failed to score in fifth, SHS sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs on seven walks and no hits to take a 12 – 5 lead. Ricci had an easy three up three down inning in the 6th when he struck out two batters, but he had already greatly exceeded his highest pitch total for the season. Ricci struggled in the top of the 7th. He gave up a single and three walks before being relieved by right hander Evans. Evans struck out the first batter he faced and earned the save when he got the next batter to fly out to end the game.
The Vikings won the top seed in the Skyline Region and a first round bye in the state playoffs. SHS will play Tuesday night at home at 7:00 p.m. in the single elimination tournament. Their opponent will be the winner of Monday's Moon Valley vs. Arcadia game.
SHS Defeats Buckeye 10 - 0 & Clinches Skyline Region ChampionshipApril 27, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. Apollo's 6 - 2 defeat of Thunderbird coupled with the Vikings' 10 - 0 win over Buckeye earned SHS sole possession of first place in the Skyline Region. This is the the first region championship for SHS since 1987. The Vikings have next week off as they prepare for a 7:00 p.m. Saturday night home game on May 6, 2000, against the winner of the Skyline Region playoffs.
The win over Buckeye was the 10th 10 run rule victory for the high scoring Vikings who are averaging 7.68 runs a game.  The Vikings were inspired by the zealous fan support of the football bleacher gang that has become a fixture at home games. Thursday night the bleacher crowd was at its best hanging K signs for each Matt Ricci strike out and bursting out with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" after the top of the 5th when Chuck Jared, the voice of the Vikings, was slow in starting his traditional rendition of the song.
After Ricci held Buckeye scoreless in the top of the fifth and with the Vikes leading 9 - 0, the Viking faithful were hoping for a quick end to the game. After the first two batters were retired, Ricky Keyt came to the plate. With cheers of "Keyter Keyter" ringing loudly in his ears, Keyt nailed a fastball high and deep over the left field fence for the 10th run to end the game and delight the Viking fans. Ricci earned his 7th win against no defeats. What's On This Website- Team Roster: All the players' names, numbers and cumulative season stats are on the SHS roster. Access the roster by clicking on the "Team/Rosters" link on this page.
- Player Stats: To access biographies, pictures and individual game and cumulative season stats for each player: (i) go to the Team/Rosters link on this page, and (ii) click on the name of the desired player.
- Game Schedule: To access the entire season schedule click on the "Schedules" link on this page.
- Game Results: To see a story and game stats click on the "Game Results" link on this page
- Links: Our favorite baseball links.
- Field Locations: To find the street address and location of schools where away games are played: (i) click on the "Fields Location" link on this page, (ii) click on the down arrow to the left of "Select Location," (iii) scroll down and select the desired school (iv) then click on "Select Location."
- Stats Leader Report: To access the leader report, click on the "Stats" link on this page. Because of a technical glitch, the report is located way down on the page so you have to scroll down a long way to find it.
- Archived Stories: Click on this link to access game stories from earlier in the season that are not displayed on this page
Ricci's 7th Victory Paces 10 - 0 Win Over BuckeyeApril 27, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. The undermanned and understaffed Vikings with the 12 man active roster defied the odds and won the Skyline Region title with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses by smashing conference foe Buckeye 10 to 0. The Sunnyslope win, coupled with Apollo's 6 to 2 victory over Thunderbird earlier in the day meant that a Viking victory would result in a first place finish and an automatic berth in the upcoming state tournament. The Vikings were up to the challenge. Their second win this year over Buckeye secured undisputed first place in the Skyline Region. The win highlighted an improbable season in which the Vikings were thought to be no more than a .500 team when the 2000 campaign began.
Once again, senior left handed Matt Ricci lead the way with his splendid pitching. Ricci pitched his third shutout of the year while allowing only 3 hits. He struck out 4 and did not walk a batter. Matt has only walked eight batters in 43 innings and the shut out dropped his ERA to 1.95
Every Viking player made a positive contribution to the team win, just as they have all year long. Phil Band showed why he is the best lead off hitter in the conference with 2 hits and two runs scored. Ricky Keyt, healthy again after missing 17 games, swung a mighty bat with 2 hits, including a home run over the left field fence. Keyt knocked in 2 runs. Mike Nixon belted a triple to center to score a run and turned in his usual outstanding defensive effort. Matt Lee was 1 for 2 with an RBI single to left and a walk all the while continuing to provide stability and leadership from his shortstop position. Dave Evans, the only other healthy pitcher on the team, was also 1 for 2 with a sizzling double to center while playing a solid first base. Sophomore Ernesto Rocha got hit by a pitch for the 5th time and leads the team in getting hit.
Steve Crawford got 2 key hits, including a double over the left fielder’s head. Crawford and Lee combined to turn yet another terrific double play, which they have done all year. Sophomore Matt Peterson continued his dramatic improvement with perhaps the key hit of the game, a 2 run single with 2 out in the bottom of the second when the game was still scoreless. Senior Barrie Pederson played solid defense at third.
It was a team victory in the best sense of the word. This 2000 edition of the Sunnyslope Vikings has that mysterious ingredient, the right chemistry, to make them a formidable opponent in the Arizona state 4A tournament even though they are not ranked in the top 10 by The Arizona Republic and are given no chance in the tournament. It's been a great season. The best is yet to come as the Vikings are peaking for the playoffs for the state championship. Play Ball!Vikings Drop 9 - 8 Heartbreaker to ApolloApril 25, 2000. Apollo Park. If Shakespeare were alive and attended the Sunnyslope game against Apollo he would observe that baseball can be the cruelest game. This intense rivalry was filled with action, drama and from Sunnyslope's perspective, tragedy. The Vikings dominated in building a 7 to 0 lead after four innings and appeared ready to clinch no worse than a tie for first place in the Skyline Region. The Hawks parlayed three Viking errors and 4 doubles in the bottom of the fifth to erase the Viking lead and tie the score at 7 apiece. Although the Vikings took the lead back in the top of the sixth, a 2 run 2 out home run by Apollo in the bottom of the sixth doomed the Vikings to a 9 – 8 loss, its first in 8 games.
Sunnyslope started the action with 3 runs in the top of the first. Phil Band reached first on a 2 base error by the left fielder. After Ricky Keyt flied out, Mike Nixon drove Band home with a single. Matt Lee then walked and Dave Evans and Ernesto Rocha singled. Steve Crawford grounded into a fielder's choice, but got an RBI as Lee scored the third run of the inning.
The Mean Green Machine's offense exploded for 4 runs on 3 mammoth home runs in the top of the second. Band singled sharply to center and Ricky Keyt blasted an opposite field two run homer to right. After Nixon grounded out, Lee rocketed a solo home run over the left field fence. Evans powered a long blast to left center that not only cleared the baseball fence, but also cleared the back yard block fence of the home behind the ball field. Conservatively, Evans' clout traveled 425 feet.
The Vikings appeared to be sailing to victory until hitting a buzz saw in the fifth. The top of the sixth saw the Vikings mount a rally of their own. Keyt smashed a single to left and took second on a ground out by Nixon. With 2 out, Lee hit a clutch single in the hole between third and short. Keyt went into overdrive at second and slid safely into home with the go ahead run and give SHS 8 runs to Apollo’s 7. Apollo’s 2 run homer in the bottom of the 6th wiped out that lead for good. but not without a fight. Barrie Pederson and Band walked and moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Keyt worked the count to 2 and 2 and hit a hard ground ball right to the shortstop. Keyt's speed made it excruciatingly close at first but the umpire ruled the throw just beat the runner, bringing down the curtain on one of the most exciting games in the history of these 2 rivals. The teams split during the season, each coming from behind to win in the late innings. Sunnyslope looks forward to matching up again with the Hawks in the playoffs. Vikings Drub Lake Havasu 10 - 0 for 9th 10 Run Rule Game Victory To Retain Sole Possession of 1st in the Skyline RegionApril 22, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. It was a great day for baseball and the Vikings came ready to defend their Skyline Region first place position. Lake Havasu’s first two batters reached base in the first inning, but were thrown out trying to steal second by Mike Nixon. The Vikings retired Havasu three up three down in the first and the tone of the game was set.
In the bottom of the first Phil Band lead off with a single and Ricky Keyt walked. They executed a double steal to set up Nixon’s two RBI scoring double. Matt Lee’s single scored Nixon and just like that the Vikings had a three run lead with no outs.
Sunnyslope added six more runs in the bottom of the second. Matt Ricci started it off with a single. Steve Crawford walked and Matt Peterson reached first on an error to load the bases. Band drew a walk and an RBI when Ricci was forced home from third. Nixon’s single up the middle brought in two runs. Lee then knocked in a run with a single and Rocha’s single drove home the last RBI of the inning. The score after two complete innings was SHS 9 - LHHS 0.
The Vikings got the last run they needed for the 10 run rule game in the bottom of the 4th. Lee started the inning with a double down the left field line. Dave Evans’ single moved Lee to third. Ricci hit into a double play, but Lee scored from third for the 10th run.
 Matt Ricci pitched another great game and recorded his sixth win with no defeats. Ricci pitched his third complete game shutout, his second one hitter and lowered his ERA to 2.21. Matt has only walked eight batters in 38 innings.
The Vikings own undisputed first place in the Skyline Region, which would give them an important bye in the first round of the playoffs for the state championship. Nine of SHS' 14 wins have been 10 run rule games, including the last four games. The Vikings bats have come alive and are peaking for the state tournament.Vikings Pound Cactus Shadows 14 - 4April 20, 2000, Sunnyslope Field. The overachieving Sunnyslope Vikings with the twelve man roster made it five wins in a row as they avenged an earlier loss to Skyline Region rival Cactus Shadows with an impressive 14 - 4 victory called after 6 innings because of the 10 run rule. Pitcher Dave Evans battled hard and did not give up to record a complete game victory, despite giving up 3 early home runs. The Vikings combined timely hitting and solid defense with team speed to overcome the Falcons early 4 - 2 lead. A seven run outburst in the bottom of the sixth sealed the win for the Mean Green Machine.
 The Vikings scored two runs with only one base hit in the first inning. In his first game since coming off the fourteen day disabled list, veteran Ricky Keyt lined a sharp double to left center, which was his first of three hits in the game. Keyt went to third when the catcher dropped Mike Nixon’s third strike. The catcher tried to throw Keyt out at third, but he slide under the tag and Nixon was safe on first. Nixon stole second and the second baseman then attempted to pick off Keyt who had strayed a little too far from third. The throw went astray and Keyt sped home and Nixon took third. Nixon scored later on a balk to give SHS a 2 – 0 lead after one.
Cactus Shadows hit three home runs in the next 2 innings to give Cactus Shadows a 4 to 2 lead after 3 innings. Two double plays started by Matt Lee in the top of the third and the fourth with men in scoring position kept the Falcons from increasing their lead.
The Vikings took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. Lee coaxed his second walk of the game to increase his team leading bases on balls total to 18. Evans and  Ernesto Rocha followed with sizzling line drives to right center field, each driving in one run. Matt Peterson and Keyt were able to drive in two additional runs with timely hits. Barrie Pederson drove in another run in the fifth with a strategically placed ground ball to second to make the score 7 to 4. Evans got into trouble in the top of the 6th when he loaded the bases with one out, but he dug deep and induced a Falcon pop up to Clint Rose for the last out and strand three runners. After Evans finished pitching in the 6th inning with 112 pitches, some of the loyal SHS fans were worried because of the lack of pitching depth, but little did they know that Evans teammates had a plan to prevent him from taking the mound in the 7th.
The bottom of the sixth was Sunnyslope at its battling best. With one out, Keyt and Nixon walked and pulled a double steal. Lee drilled a deep drive to left against the wall for a 2 run double. Evans walked. Rocha then powered his second home run of the season, a 3 run blast over the center field wall to make the score 12 to 4. The Vikings were not done yet, however. Crawford laced a double to right and Peterson drove him in with a single to center. Band hit a shot to right to put runners on second and third. Up to bat for the fifth time in the game, Keyt got his third RBI of the evening and the last hit of the game with his single between third and short that drove in the 14th and game winning run.
The win over the second place Falcons gives the battling Vikings sole possession of first place in the conference with a 7 – 2 record with 3 games left before the state tournament playoffs begin. The Vikings performance is proof, if proof were needed, why Coach Rich Carlberg is one of the most respected baseball coaches in the state. He guided an undermanned Viking Squad to the state title in 1996. Can history repeat itself? Stay tuned.SHS 10 Run Rules Tbird to Earn 6 - 2 Record in the Region & Tie For FirstApril 15, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. IRS tax day saw Sunnyslope extract overdue taxes from the Thunderbird Chiefs  and avenge an earlier loss to their cross-town rival. The win enabled SHS to stretch its winning streak to 4 games behind the strong right arm of senior Dave Evans. The Vikings pounded the stunned Chiefs 12 – 2 in a five inning ten run rule game.
Evans gave up only 3 hits, including a solo home run to the Chief's Mike Jones to chalk up the complete game win and his fourth victory. Evans’ control was excellent. He walked only 2 batters while striking out 3. The Vikings combined for 15 hits and 8 stolen bases, including 4 more by speedy Phil Band to lift his season total to 29. SHS base runners have stolen 77 bases so far this season. The Vikings raised their Skyline Conference record to 6 - 2 and are tied for first.
The Vikings started where they left off Against Glendale two days earlier. They batted around, scoring 4 runs on 4 hits in the first inning to provide all the runs that Evans would need. Band singled, stole second, third and home (on the front end of a double steal involving Steve Crawford) to score the game's first run. Mike Nixon scored Crawford with an RBI single and Matt Ricci and Ernesto Rocha also stroked run scoring singles.
Band led off the second with another hit, stole yet another base and scored on Nixon's second hit of the game. Matt Lee plated Nixon with his single to left and took second on Evans' single. Lee and Evans pulled the second double steal of the game and both scored on singles by Barrie Pederson and Matt Peterson.
The Vikings increased their lead to 10 to 1 when Barrie Pederson notched his second hit of the game and scored on Phil Band's third hit of the game. They put the game to rest in the bottom of the fifth when Mike Nixon reached first on an error and scored when Lee blasted a triple to deep right center. Lee scored the game's final run when Rocha singled sharply up the middle.
The regular season ends in 2 weeks and the Vikings continue to show remarkable improvement as they prepare for post season play. The fans are getting excited.Triple Play & Peterson's 8 RBIs Carry SHS to a 28 - 5 Victory Over lendaleApril 13, 2000. Sunnyslope Field. The Sunnyslope Vikings mounted a 21 hit assault against 6 Glendale pitchers to forge a 28 - 5 victory in a game that mercifully came to an end after 5 innings because of the 10 run rule. Sophomore Matt Peterson let the hit parade with 3 hits, including a grand slam home run and 8 RBI's. Phil Band, Matt Ricci and Clint Rose had 4 hits apiece and Rose, Ricci and Ernesto Rocha scored 4 runs each. The Vikings came within one out of batting around in each of the 5 innings they came to bat. Coach Carlberg made several substitutions and pulled Matt Ricci after he pitched 3 effective innings to record the victory. Cardinal pitchers added to their own misery by walking 14 batters without a single strike out.
Sunnyslope recorded its first triple play of the year. The Cardinals had runners on first and second with no one out when the batter hit a sharp ground ball to Steve Crawford at shortstop. Crawford flipped the ball to Peterson at second who relayed to Rose at first. Clint Rose made an acrobatic stretch to scoop the throw and record the second putout. The runner on second took off at the crack of the bat and attempted to score on the play. Rose righted himself and threw to Mike Nixon at home who took the ball on one hop and tagged the chagrined runner. The triple play epitomized the game.
The Viking victory increased their record in the conference to 5 - 2.Band Pitches Vikings to 7 - 4 Victory Over Lake Havasu April 11, 2000, Lake Havasu’s WWF Field. Sunnyslope lost two out of three last year at Lake Havasu (LH won two games on the field courtesy of home town umps, but SHS fans got the best of the LH fans in the bench clearing brawl that triggered the umpires’ ejection of all fans from the game), but the Vikings got sweet revenge by gutting out a tough fought 7 - 4 win at the Knights sunken diamond. Playing Lake Havasu on their home field can be dangerous to your health as we saw last year. Last year's brawl was instigated by rowdy left field Lake Havasu fans. The Lake Havasu Police Department was called to break up the fight and clear the stands.
Rather than being intimidated, the Vikings played hard-nosed baseball and prevailed in a region game. Phil Band started on the mound and battled to get his first win of the campaign. Band scored 3 runs and stole 3 more bases to up his total to a team leading 25. Matt Lee provided the key hit of the game with a bases loaded double in the top of the 3rd that provided the margin of victory. Lee also stole 2 bases and scored a key run in the top of the seventh to provide a little extra breathing room for Dave Evans, who pitched in relief and recorded the save.
The Vikings also made several fine defensive plays, including a spectacular diving catch by Matt Peterson in left field that prevented 2 runs from scoring. Mike Nixon turned in another stellar performance behind the plate. He picked a Lake Havasu runner off third base in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and two out to kill a Knight threat.
This game proves how far the Vikings have come since the beginning of the year. The are going to be a force at tournament time. The win gives the Vikings a 4 and 2 record in conference play.Ricci's Shutout + Rocha's HR & 6 RBIs = SHS 9 - Cortez 0 April 8, 2000, Sunnyslope Field. Today Sunnyslope combined the four cornerstones of winning baseball: pitching, hitting, speed and defense to forge an impressive 9 - 0 win over Cortez in a nonconference game. Matt Ricci earned his fourth win as he mixed speeds and pitches effectively to limit Cortez to just 6 hits while striking out 6 and walking just 2 batters to throw his second complete game shut out of the season. The Vikings stroked 14 hits and stole 5 bases while playing crisp defense to preserve Ricci's shut out.
The Vikings started the game like they have so many others with a lead off hit by Phil Band. Band's double to left and steal of third allowed him to score on Mike Nixon's ground out to second. The lead grew to 4 to 0 in the third when Matt Lee walked and scooted to third on Ricci's single to right center. Both scored when Rocha singled to right. Rocha advanced to third on an error by the right fielder and scored on Clint Rose's sacrifice fly to right.
The Vikings broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Peterson singled, stole second and eventually scored on Band's ground out. Pinch hitter Casey Arnold singled, as did Nixon and Lee. After Ricci's ground out scored Arnold, Rocha followed with a 3 run blast to right center for his first home run of the year and his 6th RBI of the game.
The Vikings now prepare for a difficult week with 3 conference games, including a road game against ranked Lake Havasu on Tuesday and a rematch against Thunderbird on Saturday.
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Sunnyslope High School Vikings Varsity Baseball
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