Mesquite reliever Holden Breeze induces final out to end 9-7 win over Q.Creek. (Azpreps365 photo)

The top two teams in the current 5A baseball power-rankings collided Thursday afternoon and neither offered its A game.

But the contest was competitive to the end despite many blemishes as No. 1 Mesquite outlasted No. 2 Queen Creek, 9-7, in the San Tan region opener for each at Mesquite High.

The blemishes were apparent by some of the numbers the teams posted. Queen Creek, which used five pitchers, gave up 12 hits, walked seven and hit five batters. There were passed balls and wild pitchers mixed in, too. Mesquite pitching recorded 12 strikeouts and allowed seven hits. But but even with 12 strikeouts from its two pitchers in the contest they also combined to walk nine.

Mesquite (17-3 overall, 10-0 power-ranking games) rallied twice early from deficits, putting some distance between itself and Queen Creek (16-2, 8-1 prg) with a five-run rally in the third inning.

Queen Creek grabbed its early leads courtesy of home runs by Jacob Berry in the first - a two-run shot - and in the third with a solo blast by Colton Casinelli. Casinelli's homer made it 3-2, but Mesquite batted around tallying five runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batter. David Watson's RBI double tied it a 3 and an infield hit from Jacob Henderson and sacrifice fly by Daniel Johnson made it 5-3.

The first six runs for Mesquite came off Queen Creek starter David Marshall, who was hit hard by the aggressive-swinging Wildcats. Wille Cano capped the inning with a two-run single to center off the Bulldogs third pitcher of the inning. 

Mesquite got tack on runs in the fourth and sixth for a 9-5 lead. The Wildcats didn't have a hit in either inning. Three hit batters and a walk produced the run in the fourth and an error, two walks and wild pitch plated the tally in the sixth.

Mesquite starter Chase Webster lasted four innings with a rather uneven performance. He gave up five runs, three earned. He struck out seven, walked six and hit a batter. Third baseman Holden Breeze was called on to finish and he barely made it.

Breeze took a 9-5 lead to the top of the seventh. He allowed a single, hit a batter and walked two in the seventh. Queen Creek scored twice - a single by Jacob Alexander and on a wild pitch. Leadoff hitter and track standout Kevon Jackson made the final out with the tying runs on second and third by grounding out to short on a close play at first. 

Daniel Johnson drove in three runs for Mesquite without a hit -- two sacrifice flies and hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Cano led with three hits while Grant Gorrell, Henderson and Cole Westerlund had two hits apiece. Steve Denning paced Queen Creek with two hits and Cassinelli and Berry drove in two runs each.

The teams engage in a rematch Friday at 4 p.m. at Queen Creek aiming for a more aesthetically-pleasing contest.