SMALL SCHOOLS: Faith Lutheran tops Moapa Valley, earns return to state baseball tournament

Faith Lutheran’s baseball team won the Class 3A state title only two years ago, but a disappointing finish last season made the memory seem distant.

The Crusaders won the regular-season 3A Southern League crown in 2008, only to go 0-2 in the league playoffs and miss the state tournament.

That early exit provided extra incentive that Faith Lutheran has ridden back to state.

The second-seeded Crusaders jumped to a five-run lead and held on for a 7-6 home win over third-seeded Moapa Valley on Saturday to clinch a best-of-3 league playoff series, 2-0. The win assured Faith Lutheran a spot in this week’s four-team state tournament.

“It feels good,” Crusaders senior shortstop/pitcher Terry Unruh said. “It feels like two years ago all over again. I’m excited to try to win a title on our home field again.”

Faith Lutheran (13-20) hosts the state tournament, which it will open at 3 p.m. Thursday against Spring Creek.

The Crusaders enter the state tourney winning their past six games by a combined score of 73-22.

“It’s very exciting,” said Faith Lutheran coach Tony Girod, whose team will be gunning for its third 3A state title in five years. “We’re kind of getting hot at the right time.”

The Pirates (14-18) scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within 7-6. But Unruh struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh to earn the save and end Moapa Valley’s season with seven straight losses.

“That was a great game,” said Moapa Valley coach Matt Messer, whose team dropped the series opener 13-3 Friday. “We could have just come over here after getting beat last night and rolled over.

“That’s kind of a credit to our kids; we were swinging right down to the very end.”

Alex Barnes tossed five innings to earn the win, allowing four runs on three hits, three walks and one hit batter. He struck out three.

Bobby Burns (two doubles, three RBIs) and Adam Finlayson (two runs) both went 4-for-5 for Faith Lutheran. Unruh and Barnes had two hits each.

Burns said winning the series opener enabled the Crusaders to play relaxed.

“It was huge,” he said. “It took a lot of pressure off the guys. We came to the field relaxed, ready to play and had fun today.”

Kevin Cardinal was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to lead Moapa Valley. Dallin Seely went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, and Matt Vallet was 1-for-3 with two RBIs for the Pirates.

Virgin Valley 6-7, Boulder City 7-2 — At Mesquite, Brandt Eaton went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the nightcap as top-seeded Virgin Valley (25-7) advanced past Boulder City (10-20) in a best-of-3 Class 3A Southern League series.

Jason Wittwer went 2-for-2 and Travis Leavitt and Terran Leavitt each 2-for-4 for the Bulldogs, who will meet Truckee (Calif.) in the first round of the state tourney Friday at Faith Lutheran.

Preston Swasey hit a two-run homer to account for the Eagles’ only runs.

In the opener, Cole Stubitz went 3-for-4 with a home run and drove in the decisive run with a sixth-inning double to force the rubber game.

Wittwer was 3-for-4 with two triples and a double for the Bulldogs.

Lake Mead 20, Indian Springs 19 — At Alamo, Deven Serrano’s one-out double scored D.J. Johnson and capped a three-run bottom of the seventh inning by Lake Mead (19-8) in the Class 1A Southern Region tournament title game.

Johnson (five RBIs) and Josh Bratton had three hits each for Lake Mead. Johnson belted a three-run home run and Drew Erickson a two-run blast.

Patrick McClain had three hits, and Nick Vandever was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs for Indian Springs (18-6). Roger Atchley had two hits.

Both teams open the 1A state tournament Thursday at Arbor View.

The Meadows 9, Needles 6 — At Needles, Calif., The Meadows (17-8) rebounded from a 13-7 loss to Needles earlier in the day to capture the Class 2A Southern League tournament over host Needles (21-6).