Riley Reisner is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com.

The April sun was still high over Basha High School when the Bears mobbed Parker Anderson at home plate after his towering walk-off home run sealed a 4-3 win over Chandler on Thursday afternoon. It was a fitting end to a gritty battle, a game that showed Basha's resilience as the postseason approaches.

In a game marked by timely pitching and clutch hitting, Basha’s ability to stay composed under pressure paid off. After Chandler tied the game in the top of the seventh, Anderson needed just one swing to lift Basha to its second straight win over the Wolves — and a huge momentum boost with the regular season winding down.

“We were struggling before this series, and it feels really good to get back on our horse with these guys,” Anderson said after the win. “We have a good team, a bunch of dogs, and it just feels good to get back up on that horse with everybody.”

From the start, Basha leaned on David Richter's strong pitching. Richter worked a quick 1-2-3 first inning and set the tone for the Bears, consistently getting ahead of hitters and trusting his defense. Basha's outfield helped him out early with two solid catches in the second inning to keep Chandler off the bases.

Tre Jones opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, crushing a home run over the right-field fence to put Basha ahead 1-0. Richter continued his rhythm into the third inning, picking off a Chandler runner to end the threat.

However, the Wolves responded in the fourth, taking a 2-1 lead on a two-run double. True to form, Basha didn’t let the momentum swing last long. Richter delivered another clean inning in the fifth, and in the bottom half, senior Chase Chanley delivered a clutch two-run double to retake the lead, 3-2.

“We played really well. We kind of came together in this past week as a team and started fighting for each other more,” senior catcher and team leader Grant Smith said. “It’s kind of good seeing our bats come alive, our pitching come alive. Everything happens at once. So it’s just cool to see everybody fight for each other.”

Basha’s pitching and defense continued to grind through the sixth, shutting down Chandler again, but the Wolves clawed back in the seventh, tying the game at 3 on a two-out RBI single.

Then, Parker Anderson came to the plate. And one powerful swing later, the Bears had their signature win.

“Just keep up, stay up, and then we're getting hot at the perfect time, which means a lot to all the boys, especially the seniors,” Anderson said. “Not letting this season go to waste, and it's really important to all of us.”

Speaking before the game, head coach Eric Albright said the team's focus had to stay simple despite the looming postseason.

“For us, today is just about today, trying to play complete baseball games, throw strikes, make routine plays, and have quality at-bats,” Albright said. “We’re not worried about state yet. We just gotta win baseball games, because we're not in a position to think about that yet.”

The Bears showed they took that message to heart, staying locked in until the final pitch — and hitting their stride at just the right time.