Cimarron captures final Sunset berth

Legacy's baseball team didn't have an answer for Cimarron-Memorial's Aaron Hernandez on Saturday, and the Spartans rode the senior's effort into the Sunset Region tournament.

Hernandez allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and doubled, homered and drove in three runs as Cimarron beat the Longhorns 12-2 at Centennial High School.

The win gave Cimarron the Northwest Division's final postseason berth, and the Spartans will open play in the Sunset Region tournament Tuesday at Sierra Vista.

Cimarron dominated the game from the start, scoring in every inning. Hernandez did the rest, yielding five hits. He took a shutout into the sixth.

"He (Hernandez) did an excellent job of keeping the ball down," Cimarron coach Mark Hubel said. "In high school, if you keep the ball down and hit your spots, you're going to be successful. Aaron did just that today, and his teammates supported him."

The Spartans gave Hernandez plenty of run support, with Bradley Oswald driving in three runs and Kaz Smith hitting a double, a triple and driving in two runs. Cimarron had 13 hits against three Legacy pitchers.

"Our season continues," Hubel said. "There are plenty of good teams in the regional; it's anybody's to have. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the postseason and surprise some people."