Coronado unable to climb out of hole

Quality baseball teams know how to make the most of their opportunities, and Reno effectively seized its big chance on Sunday.

With the wind blowing out in the second inning, the Knights exploded for five runs, then hung on to beat Coronado 8-7 in the American Legion state tournament at UNLV's Wilson Stadium.

Outfielder Zachary Sanford, who helped his team grab momentum in the second with a wind-aided solo home run to left field, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead Reno to the first-round win.

But Sanford's final RBI was the big one, coming on a ninth-inning single to provide the margin of victory.

"Sanford had a really good offensive day," said Knights coach Pete Savage, whose team improved to 42-15. "But you play for three hours, and we feel like every run is equal and counts the same. That's our approach."

Cougars coach Ed Detwiler, whose team rallied after falling into an early hole, said his players showed character in the loss.

"It was a tough, hard-fought game," he said. "We didn't give up. It's just a little glitch in the road. If I know these guys like I think I know them, they'll be playing (in the championship game) on Saturday."

Sanford and Andrew Simpson led Reno's seven-hit second-inning uprising with homers, and teammate Brian Bus drove in another run with a third-inning single to give the Knights a 6-0 lead.

But fourth-inning home runs by Ryan McIntyre and Robert Cash got Coronado back in the game, and Cougars starter Javy Perez settled down to pitch three scoreless innings. Coronado chipped away at the deficit, making it 6-4 on a bloop single by Carmen Romano in the fifth.

After Reno chased Perez with a run in the seventh, Coronado answered by scoring on a wild pitch and an error in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-6.

Sanford, however, helped Reno recapture the momentum with his RBI line single in the ninth to extend the lead to 8-6.

"Any run can beat you at any time," Detwiler said. "But to have that run score in the ninth inning -- that hurts."

Coronado stayed alive as Donnie Ladeo singled in a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-7.

But Joe Keiser's sharp grounder moments later was snagged by Reno first-baseman Patrick Gallagher to end the game.

Josh Bryan went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Steven Pollocks went 2-for-4 with a triple to lead the Cougars (22-7), who will play Tuesday in a losers-bracket game.

Cavin Hill tossed the final 2.2 innings for Reno, allowing just one hit to earn the save.

Coronado's and Reno's next opponents will be determined by the outcome of the Green Valley-Sierra Vista contest, which ran late Sunday night.