First-round playoff pairings set in baseball

No more guessing at possible opponents or seeds. Southern Nevada’s Class 4A baseball playoff pairings are set and almost official.

Thursday’s games helped smooth out the remaining bumps in the postseason schedule for the Sunset and Sunrise Regions, and 16 teams are preparing for an opening game Tuesday.

First-round games are at host sites with subsequent rounds to be held at Sierra Vista and Centennial in the Sunset Region and Las Vegas and Green Valley in the Sunrise.

The playoff pairings aren’t yet official, but are expected to be announced Friday by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Here’s a sneak peek at what they should look like:

Sunset Region

Southwest No. 4 Durango (11-5) at Northwest No. 1 Cimarron-Memorial (12-2)

Southwest No. 3 Sierra Vista (12-4) at Northwest No. 2 Palo Verde (10-4)

Northwest No. 3 Centennial (10-4) at Southwest No. 2 Spring Valley (12-4)

Northwest No. 4 Legacy (9-5) at Southwest No. 1 Bishop Gorman (16-0)

In the Northwest, Palo Verde won the tiebreaker over Centennial for the No. 2 seed because the Panthers swept the season series.

In the Southwest, Spring Valley got the nod over Sierra Vista, also because of a series sweep.

Sunrise Region

Southeast No. 4 Silverado (9-5) at Northeast No. 1 Las Vegas (12-0)

Southeast No. 3 Coronado (9-5) at Northeast No. 2 Rancho (10-2)

Northeast No. 3 Valley (7-5) at Southeast No. 2 Foothill (11-3)

Northeast No. 4 Eldorado (7-5) at Southeast No. 1 Green Valley (13-1)

In the Northeast, the Valley-Eldorado tiebreaker needed three steps to break. The teams split their season series, and both beat the same opponents to get seven wins. The third tiebreaker favors the team that won the second head-to-head meeting, Valley in this case.

The tie for No. 3 in the Southeast was easier to break; Coronado swept Silverado.