Late heroics lift Bishop Gorman baseball to 5A title game

Bishop Gorman baseball coach Gino DiMaria has said his team believes it’s never out of a game.

The Gaels showed that Friday, all the way to their last strike.

Tai Nguyen doubled on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored Tyler Whitaker and Tommy Rose, capping a three-run inning and lifting top-seeded Gorman to a 5-4 home win over No. 9 Desert Oasis in the Class 5A Southern Region tournament.

Desert Oasis led 5-1 in the fifth inning but couldn’t hold on. The Gaels advanced to the championship game and will host No. 2 Palo Verde at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Whitaker, who homered in the fourth to get Gorman on the board, started the seventh-inning rally with an RBI double that brought Maddox Riske home. Payton Riske earned the win on the mound with a scoreless inning.

No. 2 Palo Verde 15, No. 3 Centennial 9 — Karthik Gondy and Tommy DiLandri homered, and the Panthers answered a three-run Bulldog first with nine in the bottom of the frame and rolled to victory.

Gondy also had a double as part of a 3-for-5 day with three RBIs and three runs scored, and DiLandri drove in three runs to help Palo Verde clinch a championship berth.

Softball

No. 3 Arbor View 2-7, No. 2 Centennial 0-4 — At Centennial, Annie Finch pitched a five-hit shutout in the first game, and Makena Strong and Paige Kellogg homered in the second to lift the Aggies into the championship game.

Arbor View will host No. 4 Shadow Ridge at noon Saturday. The Aggies scored three runs in the third inning of the second game Friday to take a 4-1 lead and added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

Finch also grabbed the win in the second game, allowing four runs on eight hits. Trinity Brandon homered in the opener.

No. 4 Shadow Ridge 3, No. 1 Green Valley 2 — At Shadow Ridge, Hailey Morrow, Abby Covington and Kimberly Hernandez drove in a run apiece to push the Mustangs into the championship game.

Josslin Law allowed 11 hits but managed to limit the Gators to two runs in a complete-game win. She struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Abby Cordova, Mikee Morris and Hannah Watson, Green Valley’s 2-4 hitters, were 8-for-12 and drove home both of the Gators’ runs.

Friday’s best

Baseball

Chris Cortez, Silverado — The senior was 5-for-9 with a triple, five RBIs and four runs scored in 15-3 and 12-2 wins over Foothill.

Karthik Gondy, Palo Verde — The senior was 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored in a 15-9 win over Centennial.

Andrew Maxwell, Silverado — The senior was 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, an RBI and three runs scored in 15-3 and 12-2 wins over Foothill.

Peter Torbicki, Sierra Vista — The senior allowed one unearned run on three hits and struck out four in a complete-game win.

Tyler Whitaker, Bishop Gorman — The senior was 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored in a 5-4 win over Desert Oasis.

Softball

Annie Finch, Arbor View — The junior threw two complete games, including a five-hit shutout with five strikeouts, in 2-0 and 7-4 wins over Centennial.

Katelyn Hunter, Bishop Gorman — The senior was 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored in a 15-5 win over Durango.

Maria Jimenez, Silverado — The sophomore was 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored in an 18-8 win over Las Vegas.

Josslin Law, Shadow Ridge — The freshman allowed 11 hits but only two runs and struck out five in a complete-game 3-2 win over Green Valley.

Riley Price, Virgin Valley — The sophomore was 3-for-3 with two home runs, seven RBIs and two runs scored, threw a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts in an 11-0 win over Boulder City.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.