Given Ray of Hope in the 7th, Poly Shades Grant, 8-7

To the average bystander, it was a welcome break in gloomy weather.

For Poly High’s Robert Iglesias, it was a good omen.

Just as the sun peeked through a crack in the rain-swollen clouds Tuesday, Poly--with the help of Iglesias’ three-run home run--erased a six-run deficit with seven runs in the seventh inning to beat host Grant, 8-7, in an East Valley League game.

The win pulled Poly (13-4, 10-2 in league play) even with Grant (12-5, 10-2) for the league lead and marked the third one-run loss for the Lancers.

With rain threatening, Grant scored five runs in the sixth to take a 7-1 lead.

But, as soon as Poly pinch-hitter Danny Martinez stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the seventh, the weather took a turn for the better--and so did Poly.

Martinez ripped a 2-and-1 pitch about 285 feet over a 20-foot fence in right-center field for Poly’s second run.

The hit prompted Iglesias to look to the sky. “That’s the first thing I noticed when Danny Martinez got a home run,” Iglesias said of the sun. “I thought maybe this can change us.”

Iglesias followed Martinez’s lead four batters later with his three-run shot to pull Poly to within 7-5.

“(Grant pitcher Tony Kuper) was throwing me curveballs and high (fastballs) basically,” Iglesias said. “Then he got a little bigheaded, I guess, and he came down with the fastball.”

After Iglesias’ homer, Poly loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Orlando Chavarria’s groundout drove in Frankie Medina to make it a one-run game. Reliever Justin Salazar (3-1) intentionally walked Martinez to load the bases again. On the first pitch to Steve Chavez, Ernie Bueno scored on a wild pitch to tie it, 7-7. Four pitches later, Francisco Flores scored the go-ahead run on another wild pitch.

“It’s right out of a Walt Disney book I guess,” Iglesias said.