The easy takeaway from Casteel's run-rule victory Wednesday over Perry is the Colts needed to send a message after losing the day before.

A closer look goes beyond the 11-1, five-inning win to give Casteel control of the 6A Premier Region standings.

The Colts are a mere two weeks away from beating the No. 1 team in the nation so being in contention for a region title seems to be a good possibility. The more important message was evident when a Casteel batter had two strikes.

It came in the form of three taps of their batting helmet.

“It’s three taps are for For The Brand, our program’s motto,” Casteel coach Matt Denny said. “It's our two-strike approach and it is all encompassing that we are going to be tough. It’s about submitting ourselves to our approach and not playing hero ball where we are launching balls out to our pull side.”

The For The Brand motto is applied to many aspects of the Casteel baseball program, but when a batter gets to two strikes he taps the helmet three times to signify he's ready battle for his teammates and push the opposition's pitcher. (Jason P. Skoda/AzPreps365)

The approach led to positive results against Perry for the Colts (17-5, 5-1) and many of the eight hits in their four innings came with two strikes.

The two most prominent examples came in the nine-run third inning with first one coming with the bases loaded.

Junior Baylor Denny was down 1-2, looked to the coach’s box at third base and both Dennys tapped their helmet three times.

The younger Denny then let the ball travel and tried to shoot the ball to right field off Perry starter Max Nibarger. He did just that – only it was barreled so well that it went out down the right-field line for a grand slam.

“It’s seeing a couple of pitches and staying within yourself,” Baylor said. “The whole thing of tapping the helmet three times is For The Brand or For The Guys. It’s all of those things. We talk about surrendering and doing your job. Be a tough out and make the pitcher work.

“All nine guys in the lineup go up there to grind and make (the pitcher’s) life hard.”

The inning was extended and No. 9 hitter Jace Diaz, who started the inning with a walk, faced a 2-2 count when he was able to hit a grounder just right of second base to plate two more to make it 9-1.

“It’s about shortening up and doing what you can for the boys,” said Diaz, who tripled in the fourth to drive in the final run of the game. “I was able to get it through the infield and score a few more.”

Perry, which beat Casteel 4-0 on Tuesday behind junior Brock Reichwein on the mound, has struggled this year as it fell to 6-15-2 but the Pumas have been playing better of late splitting a series with Hamilton, beating Mesa Mountain View, and splitting with Casteel.

“Our boys don’t give in,” Perry coach Brian Broderick said. “We were down 10 runs but we’re going to battle until the end. It’s been a tough year, and we’ve given away a lot of games, but the way we are rolling right now I am ready to battle with any team in the state.”

The Pumas had a chance to score runs in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on two walks and hit by pitch, but Denny induced a short fly ball to center and struck out the No. 9 hitter to end the threat.

It was microcism look at the game with Denny coming through with the bases loaded on offense and then shutting down the rally from the mound.

"We put a lot on him, starting last year as a sophomore, and being the coach's son isn't always easy," the elder Denny said. "But he came through in those situations when both could have gone a different direction, making it a completely different game." 

While the junior played a big part, this game was about the Colts’ and their For The Brand (tap, tap, tap) approach.

“We have to continue to grind and push for more,” Baylor Denny said. “We have a ton of talent, but that’s not our brand of baseball. We’re not individuals. We’re 26 guys playing as one team.”

Send comments and story ideas to jskoda@azpreps365.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AzPreps365Skoda for more stories, insights and in-game updates.