Liberty pulls through to title game

RENO — Sometimes it takes more than talent to win a big game.

Liberty baseball coach Nick Didier said senior pitcher Dan Skelly gave his team the missing ingredient Friday.

Skelly threw a five-hitter, and the Patriots scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to edge Centennial 3-2 at Peccole Park to move into the Division I state championship game.

“Dan Skelly gave me his heart today,” Didier said. “He manned up and he got the job done. What an outstanding job.”

Liberty (30-5) plays Centennial (27-12) at 1 p.m. today for the title. Centennial would have to win twice to capture the double-elimination tournament.

Skelly also had an RBI single in the sixth to score Jay Martz and tie the game at 2.

Liberty’s rally in the seventh started with two outs when Josh McCollum reached on a throwing error on Centennial shortstop Tanner Wright.

Jesse Keiser followed with a single up the middle to put runners at the corners. Martz, who threw a two-hitter Thursday, then singled through the left side to score the go-ahead run.

“That’s our seniors right there, and they stepped up,” Didier said. “To win any kind of championship or be in a championship game or even in this tournament, seniors have to play their best. And our seniors have definitely stepped up and done the job for us so far. But it’s not over by any means.”

Skelly looked as if he might be done early when Centennial jumped on him for three consecutive extra-base hits in the third inning.

Freshman Tanner Wright lined a double down the right-field line, and fellow freshman Kyle Horton followed with a double that one-hopped the wall in center.

Jake Portaro then tripled into the gap in left-center field to score Horton for a 2-1 lead. Skelly walked the next two batters, but got Will Loucks to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

“We were fortunate that ball was on the ground,” Didier said. “In that one inning they busted out their sticks and kind of smacked it around a little bit on him, but he kept his composure and got the ground ball we needed, and that’s how we were able to escape.”

Skelly, who struck out three and walked three, conceded he had his doubts in the inning.

“I was getting down on myself a little bit,” he said. “But then I just picked my head up and realized that I had a team that believed in me and a coaching staff that believed in me. And we all pulled on the same end of the rope, and at the end of the day, we got the job done.”

Liberty had opportunities earlier, but Centennial starter Loucks picked runners off at second base in the first and fourth inning and also got an inning-ending double play in the fifth.

“We were just taking a big step, and right when they took that step, they back-doored us,” Didier said of the two pickoffs. “They have a good move, and they caught us napping a little bit.”

Still, Liberty came through with the rally when it needed it.

“It’s Patriot baseball, I guess,” Didier said. “We want to be dramatic, and it was.”

Martz was 2-for-3 and added a sacrifice fly in the first inning to lead the offense. Skelly and Keiser each also went 2-for-3 for Liberty.

The Patriots are looking for their first state title in their first appearance in the state tournament.

“As a kid coming up playing baseball my whole life, this is what you dream for,” Skelly said. “Not playing in the MLB, but winning a state championship with your teammates that you love the most.”

■ Centennial 11, Reno 10 — The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the first two innings and held off two rallies to beat the Huskies and reach the championship game.

Reno got within one with a five-run sixth-inning rally. The big blow was a two-run double by Sullivan Cauley that cut the lead to 11-10. The Huskies also got on an RBI double by Garrett Gouldsmith and RBI singles by Joe Bath and Jeremy Peterson, who was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.

But Jake Portaro came on with one out and the tying run at second and struck out Cooper Krug and got Brock Tsukamoto to line out to center to end the inning. Reno got a leadoff single from Joey Clark in the bottom of the seventh, and Gouldsmith bunted him to second for the top of the order. Portaro struck out Matthew Young and Bath to end the game.

DIVISION I-A

Brandon Johnson tossed a two-hitter and struck out six to help Faith Lutheran to an 11-0 win over Churchill County in the winners’ bracket final of the Division I-A state tournament at Sparks.

The Crusaders (29-6) advance to the state title game against Churchill County (24-9-1) at 9 a.m. today at UNR’s Peccole Park. The Greenwave won their way back to the final by downing South Tahoe 11-1 in the losers’ bracket final.

After surrendering a leadoff double to Dalton Frank to open the game, Johnson held Churchill County hitless until the fifth.

Erich Uelmen and Cameron Sepede each hit a two-run homer for the Crusaders. Uelmen finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs for Faith Lutheran.

Churchill County must beat the Crusaders twice to win the state title.

■ South Tahoe 13, Chaparral 8 — Chad Clark went 2-for-3 with three runs, but the Cowboys fell short to the Vikings in an elimination game.

Tommy Crone finished 2-for-2, and teammate Luis Giro had three RBIs for Chaparral, which led 8-5 after five innings.

DIVISION III

Battle Mountain scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh to break a 3-3 tie, and the Longhorns beat Lincoln County 4-3 in an elimination game at Peccole Park.

The Longhorns (18-8) play Yerington (22-11) in the title game at 10 a.m. today at Wooster. The Longhorns would have to win twice to claim the title.

Yerington advanced to the championship game with a 2-0 win over Battle Mountain.

DIVISION IV

Indian Springs came up short in a quest for its first state championship game appearance in 14 years.

Wells eliminated the Thunderbirds from the Division IV state tournament with an 11-1 victory at Wooster High.

Nino Alvarez had a double for Indian Springs (15-10), which was bidding for its first crown since 1973. Armando Soriano tossed a six-hitter for the Leopards (25-6-1), who advanced to meet Virginia City (16-5) in the championship game at 10 a.m. today at Sparks.

■ Indian Springs 7, Pahranagat Valley 4 — Alvarez tossed a six-hitter and struck out nine as the Thunderbirds eliminated the Panthers (22-7).