Qualls’ no-hitter powers Rancho

Rancho's Zak Qualls wasn't perfect Thursday at Green Valley.

The junior left-hander had to settle for being unhittable.

Qualls fired a no-hitter to lead the Rams to a 2-1 win over Green Valley as the Rams advanced to the Sunrise Region baseball title game.

"We didn't use him much early knowing that we would need him to be strong down the stretch, and it was just an incredible performance today," Rancho coach Tom Pletsch said.

Qualls struck out 10 and walked four in moving Rancho (29-3) within a win of the Sunrise title and a trip to next week's state tournament in Reno.

"It's a big deal for us," Qualls said. "We had one goal at the beginning of the year, and that's Reno or bust. And it looks like we're doing it."

Green Valley (28-6) dropped into the losers' bracket and will play the winner of today's Silverado-Coronado game at 4 p.m. today at Green Valley. The winner of that game will play Rancho on Saturday and would have to win twice to take the region title.

"Rancho hasn't been in this position to go to the state tournament since 1977, and we're really excited about where we're at," Pletsch said. "But by no means do we think today gets us there. We know we still have one more to win, and we're not taking anybody lightly."

Rancho scratched across two runs in the first inning to give Qualls all the cushion he needed.

With one out, Brandon Pletsch walked and stole second. Kevin Kline hit a dribbler to second base for an infield hit, and Pletsch scored from second.

Scott Koenen then hit a potential double-play ball to second, but Green Valley shortstop Brett Harrison didn't handle Rudy Strnad's throw to prolong the inning. One out later, Josh Gomez singled home Kline to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.

Green Valley's run came in the second when Cameron Harper walked and came around to score on an errant pickoff throw by Qualls.

Qualls allowed just one more runner to reach second base.

■ Coronado 10, Las Vegas 9 -- At Las Vegas, the Cougars roared back from a five-run deficit, then made a heady defensive play late in the game to advance to today's losers' bracket semifinals.

Coronado (17-8-2) will face Silverado at 1 p.m. today at Green Valley. The teams split their two regular-season meetings.

The Cougars trailed 7-2 after three innings but started their comeback with Jordan Scott's solo home run in the fourth inning. They then scored seven runs in the fifth.

Taylor Giordano led off with a long homer to left field and added an RBI single in his second at-bat of the inning. Coronado sent 12 men to the plate and compiled seven hits in the inning.

The Wildcats (23-10) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Robert Melendrez brought home a run on an infield single, and Jesse Acosta drove in another on a sacrifice fly to center.

The Cougars, though, noticed Las Vegas' Quinton Mack leave early from second base as he tried to advance to third on Acosta's fly. Their successful appeal ended the inning.

■ Silverado 11, Foothill 1 -- At Las Vegas, Luc Balestracci did not allow an earned run in five innings as the Skyhawks eliminated the Falcons (24-7).

Silverado (22-10) made its move in the fifth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate en route to seven runs. Drew Robinson finished 3-for-4 with three runs for the Skyhawks.

SUNSET REGION

■ Bishop Gorman 6, Sierra Vista 2 -- At Centennial, Kenny Meimerstorf belted a solo home run and Joey Gallo a two-run double in the fifth inning, moving the Gaels into the Sunset title game.

"It makes it nice because now somebody has to come and beat us twice for the championship," Meimerstorf said. "We can save our arms for Saturday."

Gorman (32-3) will play Bonanza (18-13), Legacy (23-9) or Sierra Vista (27-7).

Bonanza will play Legacy in an elimination game at 1 p.m. today at Sierra Vista. The winner of that game will face Sierra Vista at 4 p.m. with a trip to the region final at stake.

Gorman won the two regular-season meetings against Southwest League rival Sierra Vista, 6-5 and 4-3.

On Thursday, the Gaels made sure it wouldn't be as suspenseful a finish by scoring two runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth for a 6-2 lead.

Meimerstorf, a freshman, hit a towering homer to left field to lead off the fifth.

Gallo and Johnny Field both went 2-for-3 for Gorman. Field tripled and scored two runs.

Scotty Tomassetti had two doubles for Sierra Vista.

■ Bonanza 8, Spring Valley 7 -- At Sierra Vista, Kris Bryant went 4-for-4, including his 22nd home run of the season, and picked up the save as the Bengals eliminated the Grizzlies.

Bryant thwarted a bases-loaded threat in the seventh inning by getting Jacob Schwartz to pop out and striking out Jose Rosales-Rodarte.

"He's been a phenomenal player, and whatever his baseball future holds, I'm just glad to say we had him for four years," Bonanza coach Derek Stafford said.

Spring Valley (16-11-1) scored five runs in the sixth to cut its deficit to 7-6, but Bryant belted a monstrous solo shot to center in the bottom of the inning.

Aaron Blair hit a solo home run down the left-field line to lead off the seventh to trim Bonanza's lead to 8-7, before the Grizzlies loaded the bases and Bryant took the mound.

Heriberto Orozco was 3-for-4 and Ted Merich 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run for Bonanza.

Cameron Cole went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Spring Valley, and Blair was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

■ Legacy 6, Arbor View 5 -- At Sierra Vista, Andres Ortiz doubled with one out in the bottom of the seventh to score Pierce Skinner with the winning run, ousting the Aggies (21-11).

Ortiz had scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning to tie the score at 5. Skinner doubled twice for the Longhorns.