SUNSET REGION: Bengals edge Aggies on game of inches
Tuesday’s Sunset Region playoff game between Bonanza and Arbor View was closer than even the one-run final score.
It came down to a couple of inches.
Bonanza’s Hunter Davidson singled up the middle with two outs in the top of the seventh, and Sterling Sprau’s head-first slide into the plate barely beat the tag to give the Bengals a 3-2 road victory.
“It looked like he was going to be thrown out,” Bonanza pitcher Mario Franzese said. “The throw happened to be to the left of home plate, and Sterling was able to slide around the tag.”
Bonanza (17-12) plays Bishop Gorman at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Centennial. Arbor View (20-10) plays the Bulldogs in an elimination game at 1 p.m. at Sierra Vista.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, pinch-hitter Jake Zebe drew a walk. Sprau re-entered the game and stole second to set up Davidson’s winning single.
Centerfielder Nick Urban came up throwing, but his throw was a few feet up the first-base line. Catcher Brandon LaPointe grabbed the throw and dove back to the plate to attempt the tag, but Sprau was called safe with the go-ahead run.
“Hunter’s been big for us all year, and I felt like he was going to come through there,” Franzese said.
The rest was up to Franzese, who got Arbor View’s Colton Hinrickson to ground into a double play to end the game, stranding the potential tying run at third.
“I can’t say enough about Mario Franzese,” Bonanza coach Derek Stafford said. “He basically put us on his shoulders and carried us.”
Franzese gave up eight hits, but pitched out of trouble on several occasions. He struck out eight, including three to strand runners at the end of an inning.
“He pitched out of jams all day,” Stafford said. “It was a tough day to pitch — the wind was blowing, it’s 60 degrees — and he just kept battling. He’s been doing that all year for us. He’s a gamer and has complete composure.”
Arbor View’s Zack Hartman also pitched an outstanding game, limiting Bonanza to two earned runs on five hits. Hartman struck out 10.
“Hartman and Franzese, both pitchers did a phenomenal job on the mound,” Stafford said. “That’s playoff baseball.”
Urban hit a solo home run, and Hartman and Tyler LeBaron each added two hits for the Aggies.
Sierra Vista 3, Palo Verde 2 — At Sierra Vista, winning pitcher Nick Kingham scored the eventual game winning run in the third inning on a sacrifice bunt by Billy Santiwan and the Mountain Lions held on to edge the Panthers.
Kingham had five strikeouts and no walks in five innings, and Blair Goldsack notched the save for Sierra Vista (26-6), which faces Legacy at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Centennial.
Jake Hager led off the bottom of the first with a home run for the Mountain Lions, who won despite being outhit 5-2 by Palo Verde (16-14).
The Panthers left the potential tying run stranded on third in the seventh. Palo Verde faces Spring Valley in an elimination game at 4 p.m. at Sierra Vista.
Legacy 6, Spring Valley 5 — At Legacy, Joey Lauria singled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give the Longhorns (23-8) the win over the Grizzlies (15-10-1).
The rally started with back-to-back one-out singles by Pierce Skinner and Andres Ortiz.
A wild pitch moved runners to second and third, and after a strikeout, Lauria singled home the tying and winning runs.
Spring Valley had scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead.
Ortiz went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, and Skinner was 2-for-4 and scored three runs.
Aaron Blair and Johnny Hernandez each went 2-for-4 for the Grizzlies. Blair struck out 10 in a complete-game effort.
Bishop Gorman 4, Centennial 2 — At Gorman, Neil Lawhorn went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and two runs and Joey Gallo and Kenny Meimerstorf each supplied a home run to help the Gaels nip the Bulldogs.
Johnny Field added two hits for Gorman (30-3).
