Roach pitches CSN to victory, into semifinals

A rough beginning did nothing to rattle College of Southern Nevada right-hander Donn Roach. Once he found a smooth groove, he was on cruise control until the end.

Roach threw a five-hitter, striking out 12, and the Coyotes opened the Region 18 Baseball Tournament with a 9-2 victory over the College of Southern Idaho on Thursday at Morse Stadium.

"You want to finish every game you pitch," said Roach, a sophomore from Bishop Gorman High School. "When I go out there, I like to complete the game. I don't like coming out."

CSN (44-13) advanced to the semifinals of the double-elimination tournament and will face Salt Lake at 1 p.m. today. Salt Lake was a 6-3 winner over Western Nevada.

After allowing a run in each of the first two innings, including one that was unearned, Roach went to the bullpen to make an adjustment in his delivery.

"It took me awhile to settle in. I was out of rhythm," he said.

By the time he struck out the side in the fourth, Roach was pitching with a 4-2 lead.

Marvin Campbell hit RBI singles in the second and third innings off CSI left-hander Mike Renner to get the Coyotes' offense rolling.

"Marv went into a little funk the last couple weeks, but he's a big-game guy," CSN coach Tim Chambers said.

Campbell and Trevor Kirk each had three hits and two RBIs, and Trent Cook was 2-for-4 and scored three runs. They picked up the slack for slugger Bryce Harper, who went 0-for-4 and struck out twice.

CSN led 7-2 after a three-run fifth, and Roach (11-3) had his sights set on the finish line. He got his sixth complete game in his 15th start and appeared stronger in the ninth inning than the first.

Roach made 128 pitches on a hot afternoon and boosted his school-record strikeout total to 122 (in 95 1/3 innings). His fastball was hitting from 90 to 94 mph, and he was effective with a curve and changeup.

"He's been dynamite all year. He's a leader, and that's kind of why I made the decision to go to him," Chambers said. "He's been there. He's got a couple state championships in his pocket, so we figure he's not going to feel any pressure.

"He's in great shape. He could go all day long."

Roach, a 40th-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels out of high school, spent his freshman year at Arizona. He returned home to CSN to help lead another championship-caliber team.

"We've got the talent. We can do it. You've got to be lucky, and you've got to do the little things to win a championship," Roach said. "I try to do my best to set the tone and get us going."

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