ROUNDUP: Bennett on the mark for Patriots in win over Spring Valley

Liberty coach Nick Didier knows one of the most important parts of high school baseball is throwing strikes.

Senior right-hander Nate Bennett proved that on Monday.

Bennett fired a five-inning one-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks as the Patriots earned a 12-0 win at Spring Valley in the Grizzly-Bengal Spring Break Invitational.

“So much surrounds the pitcher, and if you throw strikes, you can win every game as long as you’re competing on the mound,” Didier said.

Bennett threw just 69 pitches, 49 of them for strikes.

Spring Valley’s pitchers, meanwhile, struggled with control all afternoon. The Grizzlies walked 11 batters, helping Liberty bat around in the second and fourth innings.

“It forces them to swing the bat and earn everything,” Didier said of throwing strikes. “If you’re getting a lot of walks, it means they’re just giving you the bases and one hit can kill you. We just preach throw strikes and let the other team earn it.”

Griffin Kelly was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs to help lead Liberty’s 10-hit attack.

Chris Bradford was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and James Martz was 2-for-4 for the Patriots.

Liberty got another strong pitching performance earlier Monday in a 4-2 win over Legacy.

Sophomore Bailey Daguio, in his first varsity start, went six innings and gave up four hits.

“He came out and he was a little nervous and in the first inning gave up two runs,” Didier said. “But then he settled in nicely and gave us six good strong innings and we were able to get that win.”

Spring Valley 8, Legacy 7 — At Spring Valley, the Grizzlies scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on an error to top the Longhorns in the Grizzly-Bengal Spring Break Invitational.

Bryan Bierlein singled home the tying run earlier in the seventh.

Michael Macove was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Dylan Drachler went 3-for-4 for Spring Valley. Taylor Robison added two hits and two RBIs for the Grizzlies.

Dwight Taylor went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Joey Ingara was 2-for-4 with one RBI for Legacy.

Bonanza 8, Western 5 — At Bonanza, Joaquin Orozco went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and the Bengals rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to slip past the Warriors at the Bengal-Grizzly Spring Break Tournament.

Spencer Faught finished 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for Bonanza, which hosts Legacy at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Josh Yocum was 2-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBIs for Western.

Desert Pines 9, Canyon Springs 7 — At Desert Pines, Chevy Auelua-Naki hit a go-ahead two-run single, and the Jaguars scored five times in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Pioneers at the Desert Pines Tournament.

Auelua-Naki finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Juan Cruz pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts for Desert Pines.

Jordan Oates doubled for Canyon Springs, which scored six times in the top of the sixth to take a 7-4 lead.

Desert Pines 8, Mojave 6 — At Desert Pines, Iquan Corsey went 3-for-4 with three runs, and the Jaguars edged the Rattlers at the Desert Pines Tournament.

Corsey finished with five stolen bases and swiped home in the bottom of the sixth for Desert Pines’ final run.

Chase Anderson was 2-for-4 with a double for Mojave.

Chaparral 8, Cheyenne 5 — At Desert Pines, Zach Harman went 2-for-2 with two runs and four stolen bases as the Cowboys outlasted the Desert Shields in the Desert Pines Tournament.

Brian Moya was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and a run for the Cowboys.

Izac Reza went 2-for-2 with a triple, a double and a run to lead the way for Cheyenne.

Chaparral 15, Sunrise Mountain 2 — At Desert Pines, Louie Jerry Zendejas and Tad Pushard combined on a five-inning no-hitter as the Cowboys beat the Miners in the Desert Pines Tournament.
Zendejas struck out five in four innings.

Freddie Briones went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, four RBIs and two runs for Chaparral, and Moya went 2-for-3 with a double and four runs.

Jose Ortiz was 2-for-4 with three runs, and Tommy Crone went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for the Cowboys.

Green Valley 3, Chatfield (Colo.) 2 — At Phoenix, Michael Hillcoat hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, and the Gators edged the Chargers at the Big League Dugout Invitational.

Jarrett Perns was 2-for-2 and drove in two runs, while Troy Cropper finished 2-for-3 with a triple and picked up the win in relief for Green Valley, which meets Lone Peak (Utah) at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Bishop Gorman 9, Bishop Kelly (Idaho) 7 — At Gorman, Bronson Bowe was 2-for-2 with a run, and Kai Domingo had three RBIs to help the Gaels to the win.

Kenny Meimerstorf went 2-for-4 for Gorman.

Boulder City 2, Clairemont (Calif.) 1 — At San Diego, Peyton Koopman and Tanner Howell combined on a two-hitter, and the Eagles held off the host Chieftains at the Lions Tournament.

Joe Miller scored on a fielder’s choice by Howell in the third inning, and an error allowed Corbett Fleming to score from second base on the play.

Koopman went six innings and allowed both Clairemont hits and one unearned run.

Anthony Sardo scattered four hits and struck out 11 for Clairemont.

San Dieguito Academy (Calif.) 6, Silverado 1 — At Chula Vista, Calif., the Mustangs limited the Skyhawks to just four hits to earn the win in the Lions Tournament.

Vista (Calif.) 6, Coronado 2 — At Vista, Calif., James Anderson hit a solo home run in the fifth ining, but the Cougars fell to the host Panthers in the Lions Tournament.

Chandler Blanchard was 2-for-3 with a double and a run for Coronado, which meets Chaminade (Calif.) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.