Spartans nab share of first in Northwest

Cimarron-Memorial's Kaz Smith might need to wash his mouth out with soap, but he probably won't mind.

Smith dived into home for the Spartans' seventh-inning, game-winning run Wednesday against Arbor View, ending up with a face full of dirt as he gave Cimarron a 7-6 home win and a share of first place in the Northwest Division.

Immediately running on teammate Taylor Doyle's one-out single to center field, Smith probably would have been safe without the dive.

But that's precisely what Spartans coach Mike Hubel loves about him.

"That's just Kaz," Hubel said. "He's a gamer, a straight gamer. I love the kid, because that's just the way he is."

Smith's theatrics would have been for naught had it not been for two clutch hits in the sixth inning by Cimarron (14-7, 5-1 Northwest).

Kody Gorden smashed a two-run homer for the Spartans' big hit, tying the game at 6. But relief pitcher John Dixon's RBI single earlier in the inning was also big -- albeit not quite expected.

Dixon had exactly one at-bat this season before Wednesday.

"That's probably the biggest hit of the game," Hubel said. "In that situation, I really need him on the mound. I don't really want to have a pitcher hitting when he's pitching. Good thing, though, he made me look like a genius."

Dixon didn't look too bad on the mound, either, striking out three Aggies (14-5-1, 5-1) in one inning of relief, including Chad Cole, who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning.

• Palo Verde 7, Centennial 2 -- At Centennial, Alex Bonczyk went 3-for-4 with a triple, four RBIs and two runs, and he pitched a complete game with five strikeouts to lead the Panthers past the Bulldogs.

Christian Centrella was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs for Palo Verde. Jim Nelson had three hits for Centennial.

• Legacy 7, Cheyenne 3 -- At Legacy, winning pitcher Zach Monticelli went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs to help the Longhorns beat the Desert Shields.

Legacy's Joey Lauria and Travis Davison each had two hits.

• Shadow Ridge 28, Mojave 0 -- At Mojave, Shadow Ridge had 17 players score at least one run and 13 players get at least one hit in a five-inning romp over the Rattlers.

Alex Cromwick and Jordan Blaylock each had two hits and three RBIs for the Mustangs.

• Green Valley 10, Tech 0 -- At Green Valley, Dominic McGovern went 4-for-4 with two doubles to help the Gators blank Tech.

Caleb Canaday hit a solo home run for Green Valley, and Nick Libonati tossed a four-hitter and struck out four.

• Silverado 11, Coronado 1 -- At Coronado, Braden Keathley was 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs as the Skyhawks downed the Cougars.

Justin Rainville was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI for Silverado.

• Foothill 6, Liberty 5 -- At Foothill, Jordan Mathis' one-out single in the ninth scored Mike Gibellina with the winning run as the Falcons nipped Liberty.

Mathis was 2-for-4 for Foothill, which scored twice in the eighth. Liberty's Travis Fryman was 2-for-3 with a home run.

• Basic 7, Del Sol 6 -- At Basic, Darren Parke was 2-for-2 with three RBIs as the Wolves edged the Dragons.

Mike Feher added a double, a triple and two runs, and Marcus Romero doubled twice for Basic. Matt Burge and Tyler Giunta each hit two home runs for Del Sol.

• Las Vegas 10, Spring Valley 2 -- At Spring Valley, Marvin Campbell's three-run triple highlighted a five-run first inning as the Wildcats beat the Grizzlies.

Wes Grass, Bryan Harper and Bryce Harper each had two hits and an RBI for Las Vegas.

• Durango 2, Northridge (Colo.) 1 -- At Durango, John Richichi broke a 1-1 tie with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the Trailblazers held on to win.

Aaron Kurcz tossed a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

• Bellarmine Prep (Wash.) 5, Rancho 1 -- At Rancho, Kevin Kline went 2-for-3 and drove in the Rams' run in the loss to Bellarmine Prep.