SUNRISE BASEBALL: Coronado fights way to final against Gators

Jacen Yergensen made a diving catch for the final out of the Division I Sunrise Region baseball tournament losers’ bracket final and lay on the grass in center field for an extra couple of seconds.

The Coronado senior earned a break after his heroics Friday.

“What a way to end it,” Coronado coach David Padilla said.

Yergensen delivered two hits, including the big blow in a three-run fourth inning, and added a second spectacular diving catch in the bottom of that inning to lift upstart Coronado to a 5-1 victory over Basic at Las Vegas High.

The Cougars (19-15), the No. 3 seed from the Southeast League, will play Green Valley (27-6) in the championship round at 10 a.m. at Las Vegas. Coronado must beat the Gators twice to claim the region title.

Coronado eliminated defending state champion Liberty 15-10 in eight innings in the first game Friday.

“The kids just battled hard,” Padilla said. “They came in with a game plan, ‘Execute, execute, execute,’ and that’s exactly what they did.”

Basic (27-6) managed five hits as its bats went quiet at an inopportune time. The Wolves lost three of their final five games after a 22-game winning streak and scored two runs total in consecutive losses to Green Valley and Coronado to end the season.

Coronado, which had one hit though three innings against Wolves starter Ryne Nelson, broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning. Anthony Olheiser drew a leadoff walk and scored from first on Sterling Saltz’s one-out double into the left-field corner.

“That was a huge momentum turn,” Padilla said. “That double down the line just got us going.”

Coronado’s next batter, Nicco Festa, was hit by a pitch, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. After Nate Ruiz struck out, Yergensen dropped a two-run single into center to put the Cougars up 3-0.

Donte Glover had a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for Coronado, and Dakota Humphries added a single in the sixth to scored Yergensen, who doubled to start a two-out rally.

Coronado starter Daniel Witoslawski tossed three scoreless innings, and reliever Jacob Collins allowed three base runners in three innings until he ran into problems in the bottom of the seventh.

Logan Green doubled and went to third on Tanner Roundy’s single before scoring on a wild pitch. But 6-foot-7-inch junior Adam Garcia struck out J.J. Smith before Yergensen’s game-ending grab on David Hudleson’s sinking liner.

“We’re pitching by committee right now,” Padilla said. “Those three did an awesome job.”

Coronado 15, Liberty 10 — Saltz broke a 10-10 tie with a two-run double to left-center field, and the Cougars scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to eliminate the defending state champion Patriots in an emotional rivalry game.

Glover went 3-for-5 with two runs, and Humphries finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs for Coronado, which led 10-1 after Ruiz’s two-run single to left in the top of the fourth inning.

Liberty (21-11) scored seven runs in the sixth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate, and Brandon Soratos tied the game at 10 with a two-out, solo home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh.

Liberty’s Omar Ortiz finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, as he was 4-for-5 with a solo homer in the sixth. Justin Lutes was 2-for-4, including a two-run single in the sixth that cut Coronado’s lead to 10-9, and Jonny Gilleres drove in three runs for the Patriots.

Preston Pavlica went 2-for-4 with a double and home run in a designated hitter role with a handful of pro scouts in attendance. He yelled “Oh, yeah!” as he watched his drive to left — with plenty of help from the strong wind blowing out in that direction — give the Patriots a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Dane Wasden had a two-run double as part of Coronado’s four-run third inning and was 2-for-5. Yergensen was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, and Festa was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs for the Cougars.