CSN rides rare homer to championship game

It was one big mistake that Kyle Bostick did not regret. All he wanted to do was hit a single, but he launched a home run instead.

"I was just trying to get something started for the team, and it accidentally got over the fence," he said.

Bostick's solo shot in the sixth inning was the lift College of Southern Nevada needed in a 5-1 victory over Salt Lake Community College in Friday's semifinals of the NJCAA Region 18 baseball tournament at Morse Stadium in Henderson.

The Coyotes (43-14) extended their winning streak to 17 games and will meet Western Nevada College (38-19) for the championship at 2 p.m. today.

"We're sitting in a good spot right now. We've still got one big one to get," said CSN coach Tim Chambers, whose team is 2-0 in the double-elimination tournament.

Western Nevada advanced from the losers bracket by beating Salt Lake 11-1 in Friday's late game. The Coyotes won the Scenic West Athletic Conference, but they lost six of eight games to the second-place Wildcats.

There were two outs in the sixth inning of a scoreless game Friday when Bostick pulled a fastball over the left-field fence.

Bostick, a 5-foot-9-inch sophomore second baseman from Silverado High School, is CSN's leading hitter with a .356 batting average. But he had gone 192 at-bats without a homer this season. He made his first one memorable.

"I was just glad it was in a situation like that to put us ahead," he said.

The Coyotes added four runs in the seventh, with two scoring on Salt Lake errors in between RBI singles by Joel Reese and Jeff Gonzales.

CSN right-hander Tyler Lavigne, a sophomore from Centennial, limited the Bruins to three hits and one run in seven-plus innings.

"We're rolling right now," Lavigne said. "The defense picked me up big time, and the offense came around. When it counted, I made the pitches."

Lavigne (8-2) used his sinker to hold down a Bruins lineup with six left-handed hitters.

"I thought he pitched great," Chambers said. "He's a fierce competitor."

Lavigne has signed with San Diego State, as has Drew Leary, a sophomore right-hander from Sierra Vista.

Leary allowed one hit in two innings to finish the game for the Coyotes. He made his first appearance in six weeks after recovering from a pulled forearm muscle.

Chambers said freshman left-hander Egan Smith will start today. If a second game is needed, it will start 30 minutes after the first game.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.