Spartans strike early, top Gators

Green Valley’s Keola Paragas hadn’t given up an earned run in 19 innings this season.

Cimarron-Memorial made sure that streak ended quickly on Thursday.

The Spartans plated a run in the top of the first, and Jamie Yanchisin threw 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 5-1 road win over the Gators.

“It’s always big to come out and score in the first inning,” Cimarron coach Mike Hubel said. “Jamie did a great job of keeping them where they were and keeping us in the game. Our philosophy is score early and often.”

Cimarron might not have scored often, but the early run gave Yanchisin the smallest of cushions.

Leadoff man Logan Bottrell blooped a single to center to start the game, and Niko Decolati followed with a bunt single. After a wild pitch and a strikeout, Trevor Lippard scored Bottrell with a grounder to second.

Yanchisin was in control throughout. He allowed five hits and one walk while striking out six. He threw 61 pitches, 42 for strikes.

“Outstanding,” Hubel said of his senior right-hander. “His stuff was good. That’s the thing we preach is just pound the strike zone. If they hit you, they hit you. He threw strikes and hit his spots, and he’s got good stuff.”

Paragas was strong, as well, but his defense wasn’t always up to par behind him, committing six errors. Two errors in the fifth led to an unearned run, and the Gators committed two more errors in the sixth for another unearned run.

Cimarron plated two runs in the seventh, one on an RBI single by Decolati, and the other on another error.

Paragas allowed seven hits, struck out eight and walked one.

Bottrell got things started at the top of the order. He was 2-for-4 and reached base all four times, scoring three runs.

“Logan’s been struggling a little bit lately off lefties,” Hubel said. “I told him, ‘just stay short, don’t try to do too much, just get the barrel on the ball and hit it hard somewhere.’ And that’s what he did, and got two hits.”

Decolati was 3-for-4 as the team’s No. 2 hitter after spending much of the season hitting third.

“We moved Niko out of the three hole and moved him up just to try to switch things up because we weren’t getting much production, and it’s worked the last two games,” Hubel said.

Green Valley’s Cody Milner was 3-for-4, including an RBI double in the seventh to account for the team’s run.

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Folliww him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters.