Sierra Vista stays alive behind strong pitching

Sierra Vista baseball coach Levi Gill departed the field Monday with a number of concerns.

If not for the performance of starting pitcher Dakota Roehl, he might have left with a season-ending loss.

But Roehl tossed seven strong innings, allowing just four hits, to help the fourth-seeded Lions avoid elimination with a 5-2 victory over No. 8 Durango in the American Legion state tournament at UNLV's Wilson Stadium.

Sierra Vista will play Coronado at 5 p.m. Wednesday in an elimination game. Monday’s loss eliminated Durango.

“We haven’t been executing,” Gill said. “We get guys in scoring position, and we can’t get them across. But Dakota did a great job tonight.”

Roehl looked vulnerable early. Durango led off the second inning with a walk and scored the game’s first run on a double by Will Morris. Bobby Wright followed by driving in a run on a fielder’s choice to give the Trailblazers a 2-0 lead.

Roehl (6-0) said he was determined to battle back.

“I knew I just had to throw strikes, locate my fastball and trust my defense,” he said. “By the fourth inning, I knew I was settling in. My curveball started working.”

Roehl’s offense provided support with four runs on three hits in the second. Billy Santiwan had an infield RBI single, and Connor Klein capped the inning by stealing home with two outs to give the Lions a 4-2 lead.

Roehl cruised from there, and the Lions extended their lead to 5-2 when Jake Hager doubled off the fence in right-center field for an RBI in the seventh.

Blair Goldsack took over in the eighth and tossed two hitless innings.

Matt Holman went 2-for-4 with a double to lead the Lions. Hager was 2-for-3.

Morris went 2-for-3 with a double to pace Durango.

Tuesday's action will feature a 5 p.m. elimination game between Reno and Rancho. Green Valley will play Las Vegas in a winners’ bracket game at 8.

Bishop Gorman 12, Coronado 1 — The Titans scored nine runs in the sixth to roll to a seven-inning victory.

Tyler Baker went 2-for-3 with a double to lead the Titans offense, while teammate Chris Tulak (7-2) scattered five hits over four innings to earn the win. Miles Bice went 2-for-2 to lead Coronado.

The Titans stayed in the winners’ bracket, where they will play either Sierra Vista or Coronado at 8 p.m. Thursday.