BASEBALL: Kealoha, Rams claim Southeast’s last playoff berth

After pitching 5 2/3 innings against Foothill on Tuesday, Rancho’s Kavion Kealoha could only give his team 5 1/3 innings on the mound Friday.

It was plenty good enough.

Kealoha allowed just one earned run before reaching an innings limit and went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Rams to a 13-5 win over Foothill in a Southeast League play-in game at Basic.

Rancho (9-22) will face Liberty in a Sunrise Region tournament opener at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Liberty.

“He pitched great tonight,” Rancho coach Tom Pletsch said. “He came to me this morning and said his arm felt great and he wanted the ball. He’s one of the two seniors we have, and if we’re not going to get in, we’re going to let him have a shot.”

Kealoha took the loss in Tuesday’s game, allowing eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks, but was much sharper on short rest Friday.

The senior surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out eight and gave his team plenty of time to build a big lead.

The Rams, who took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, erupted for nine runs on four hits in the inning. Zach Barnhart’s two-run home run started the scoring bonanza as Rancho drew five walks, took advantage of two errors and had a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt from Layton Walls in the middle of the uprising.

“Part of our problem all year is we are a young team, and young kids sometimes struggle to make adjustments,” Pletsch said. “They’re starting to make the adjustments. They’re starting to believe in what we’re saying.”

Edarian Williams was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Carlos Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for the Rams.

Spencer Throgmorton and Alec Mathis each had a hit and an RBI for Foothill (9-21), which scored three runs on a hit and five walks in the bottom of the seventh before Rams’ reliever Jaeger McDowell got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the game.

Sierra Vista 7, Las Vegas 2 — At Las Vegas, Chandler Smith hit two home runs, including a three-run shot in a four-run second inning, to lead the Mountain Lions over the Wildcats.

Smith also had a solo home run and a double. Blake Kaplan pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits, to earn the win.

Cimarron-Memorial 3, Legacy 2 — At Cimarron, Larry Quaney singled home Todd Danzeisen in the bottom of the fourth to break a 2-2 tie, and the Spartans held on to defeat the Longhorns.

Cimarron trailed 2-1 entering the inning, but tied the game on Danzeisen’s RBI single.

Adam Mitchell was 2-for-3 with a double and a run for Cimarron.

Nick DeLuca had a two-run homer in the top of the fourth for Legacy. Daniel Zaragoza added two hits for the Longhorns.

Coronado 12, Spring Valley 8 — At Coronado, Nicco Festa’s two-run homer sparked a seven-run third inning as the Cougars rallied past the Grizzlies.

Festa went 2-for-4 with a double and scored two runs for the Cougars. Zach Dunham was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and Sterling Saltz was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Coronado.

Jaxson Otis went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored to lead the Grizzlies. Carter Lambeth was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI for Spring Valley.

Green Valley 15, Valley 0 — At Green Valley, Thomas Rivera and Spencer Cofer combined on a one-hitter, and Jarod Penniman was 4-for-4 to lead the Gators to the five-inning victory over the Vikings.

Penniman had two doubles, a triple and three RBIs, and Jarrett Perns went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and three runs for Green Valley.

Rivera was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs for Green Valley, and also pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three.

Centennial 11, Durango 0 — At Durango, Jared Grim went 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs and three RBIs, and Anthony Saccente was 1-for-1 with a homer and four RBIs to help the Bulldogs top the Trailblazers.

Tanner Wright was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and teammate Jared Drizin was 2-for-2 for Centennial, which scored four runs in the top of the seventh.

Jacob DelBarrio threw a five-hitter with four strikeouts to get the win.

Faith Lutheran 10, Desert Pines 0 — At Faith Lutheran, Brandon Davis went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs, and five pitchers combined on a two-hitter as the Crusaders defeated the Jaguars in five innings.

Cruz Daddario was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs for Faith Lutheran.

The Meadows 11-16, Agassi Prep 1-2 — At Hadland Park, Alexander Agrawal was 5-for-6 with a double, five runs and an RBI to help the Mustangs to the doubleheader sweep.

Andrew Martinez went 5-for-8 with three doubles, a triple, five runs and three RBIs, and Adam Martinez was 4-for-9 with a double, three RBIs and a run for the Mustangs.

Drake Gordon fired a three-hitter with nine strikeouts to get the win in the opener. Three Mustangs combined on a three-hitter in the nightcap.

Pahranagat Valley 14-24, Sandy Valley 4-4 — At Sandy Valley, Christian Higbee went 2-for-4 with a home run, seven RBIs and three runs in the nightcap as the Panthers swept the Sidewinders.

Higbee also threw a complete game to get the win, and Wade Leavitt was 4-for-4 with four runs and three RBIs in the second game for Pahranagat Valley.

Tabor Maxwell allowed one run on one hit in four innings with 10 strikeouts to win the opener for the Panthers.

Paden Higbee was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and four RBIs in the first game for Pahranagat Valley.