Jared McKemy caused nightmares for Sunnyside’s football team in a state playoff game last November, when he hauled in five passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Some six months later, the Ironwood Ridge senior struck down the Blue Devils once again – this time with the swing of a bat.
McKemy came up with a key two-run double to break up a shutout and the 10th-seeded Nighthawks held on to upset No. 7 Sunnyside 3-1 in eight innings on Tuesday, in the second round of the Division II state tournament.
I-Ridge senior Nick Estrella threw 125 pitches and struck out 12 batters over eight scoreless innings, three days after powering the Nighthawks to a first-round win against Mountain View.
“I’ve had a few performances like that but this was probably the most stressful,” Estrella said. “We can win it all, no doubt. We keep our pitching hot and we’ll win this thing. Everybody is swinging well as a team; nobody can beat us right now.”
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Now Estrella and his teammates are guaranteed at least two more games as they advance to the eight-team, double-elimination stage of the tournament. Up first is a showdown against second-seeded Glendale Apollo at Maryvale Baseball Park on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
“I haven’t been to double elimination yet so it’s new for me,” McKemy said. “I can’t wait, it’s going to be a blast.
“We can go all the way now. We had to get these little butterflies out of our waym in the first two rounds and, once that happens, we know what we’re doing.”
Sunnyside pitcher Angel Castillo battled with Estrella for seven scoreless innings before the Nighthawks managed to break through in the top of the eighth inning.
Senior shortstop led off the frame with a walk and then moved to third two batters later on a single to right field by senior Jake Engel.
That set the stage for McKemy, who stepped up to the plate and drove a two-run double to center field, putting I-Ridge ahead 2-0. McKemy came home not too long after that when a pick-off attempt went wrong.
Sunnyside didn’t roll over in the bottom of the eighth, however, even when it was down to its final out. Sunnyside catcher Joey Molina led off the frame with a single to left and then scored on a two-out RBI double by junior second baseman Bryon Laplander. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, junior left fielder Octavio Orantez sent a deep shot to the left-center gap, only to have I-Ridge junior Jacob Allen snag it for the final out.
“It’s amazing,” Allen said. “We’ve had this curse where we couldn’t win against good teams and we proved it wrong today so I’m excited for what’s to come.”
-Daniel Gaona
Salpointe eliminated with extra-inning loss
Nineteenth-seeded Mesa Westwood scored six runs in the last three innings to upset No. 3 Salpointe Catholic 8-7 in eight innings on Tuesday, in a fiery game in the second round of the Division II state playoffs.
“The kids battled,” Salpointe coach Danny Preble said. “Tough loss, tough way to end the season but they battled for eight innings.”
Westwood (20-8) plays No. 6 Canyon Del Oro on Wednesday at Maryvale Baseball Park. Westwood, riding a seven-game winning streak, has now knocked out two Tucson teams in a row, after taking down Catalina Foothills in first-round action on Saturday.
Coaches from both sides got ejected in Tuesday's win-or-go-home game.
Controversy erupted in the top of the eighth when a wooden Westwood bat broke and flew into the Salpointe bullpen. In the bottom of the eighth, coaches and umpires checked the bat to see if it was doctored.
Salpointe athletics director Phil Gruensfelder, who had the bat after the game, said he couldn’t talk about the matter until after he hears from the Arizona Interscholatic Associtation.
Salpointe (22-8) lost its last four games, including a 11-7 defeat to Rio Rico on senior day and against No. 25 Casa Grande Vista Grande by 10 runs. The losses dropped the Lancers out of the No. 1 spot that they held most of the season.
“It was a good year,” Preble said. “Carried by our 13 seniors, it was a fun ride for those guys. It ended early, but it was a fun ride.”
-James Kelley
Defending champ CDO moves on to third round
Sixth-seeded Canyon del Oro edged out No. 11 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 5-3 on Tuesday thanks to a few timely hits.
Senior third baseman Mason Gavre drove in four runs, two of which came on a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Senior Spencer Packard clubbed two doubles, scored a run and recorded the save for the Dorados.
CDO plays No. 19 Mesa Westwood at Maryvale Baseball Park on Wednesday at 4 p.m. to start the double elimination round.
“They have a lot of confidence," CDO coach Keith Francis said, "This team may lack some talent compared to other teams I've coached, but they've got heart and they believe."
-Chuck Constantino
Arias goes the distance to lead Tucson High
Sophomore pitcher George Arias struck out seven batters over seven one-run innings as ninth-seeded Tucson High topped No. 8 Buckeye Verrado 3-1 on the road to reach double-elimination play in the Division II state tournament.
The Badgers move on the play top-seeded Phoenix Thunderbird at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The winner there moves on to the quarterfinal round.
Tucson, just three days removed from an 11-inning first-round win, led 3-0 after three innings and held the Vipers scoreless until their final at-bat.
Senior Rick Martinez went 2 for 3 and had two RBIs to pace the Badgers to their eighth straight victory.
POSTSEASON GLANCE
BASEBALL
DIVISION II STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, double-elimination after second round. Winner-take-all championship game)
First-round results
No. 9 Tucson 2, No. 24 Scottsdale Notre Dame 1 (11 innings)
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge 5, No. 23 Mountain View 3
No. 19 Mesa Westwood 7, No. 14 Catalina Foothills 5
No. 21 Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain 8, No. 21 Sierra Vista Buena 2
No. 11 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 9, No. 22 Cienega 3
Tuesday’s second-round results
No. 19 Mesa Westwood 8, No. 3 Salpointe Catholic 7 (8 innings)
No. 6 Canyon del Oro 5, No. 11 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 3
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge 3, No. 7 Sunnyside 1 (8 innings)
No. 9 Tucson 3, No. 8 Buckeye Verrado 1
Third round (double elimination) – Wednesday
No. 6 Canyon del Oro vs. No. 19 Mesa Westwood at Maryvale Baseball Park, 4 p.m.
No. 9 Tucson vs. No. 1 Phoenix Thunderbird at Tempe Diablo Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge vs. No. 2 Glendale Apollo at Maryvale Baseball Park, 6:30 p.m.
DIVISION III STATE TOURNAMENT
(32 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 2 Nogales 7, No. 31 Empire 0
No. 7 Sahuarita 4, No. 26 Glendale Cactus 1
No. 17 Payson 8, No. 16 Rio Rico 7
No. 12 Phoenix Washington 8, No. 21 Walden Grove 7
Second-round results
No. 7 Sahuarita 7, No. 10 Maricopa 1
No. 18 Phoenix Northwest Christian 5, No. 2 Nogales 2
Quarterfinals – Friday at Surprise Baseball Complex
No. 18 Phoenix Northwest Christian vs. No. 7 Sahuarita, 6 p.m.
DIVISION IV STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 12 Catalina 4, No. 21 Flagstaff Northland Prep 2
No. 13 Benson 4, No. 20 Tempe Prep 0
No. 18 Phoenix Valley Christian 9, No. 15 Tanque Verde 3
No. 22 Amphitheater 12, No. 11 Chinle 0
Second-round results
No. 1 Desert Christian 12, No. 17 Morenci 2
No. 7 Pueblo 7, No. 10 Sedona Red Rock 1
No. 5 Yuma Catholic 2, No. 12 Catalina 1
No. 4 Apache Junction 8, No. 13 Benson 7
No. 6 Buckeye 5, No. 22 Amphitheater 0
Quarterfinals – Friday at Goodyear Baseball Complex
No, 8 Camp Verde vs. No. 1 Desert Christian, 6 p.m.
No. 7 Pueblo vs. No. 2 Glendale Joy Christian, 6 p.m.
DIVISION V STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 10 Elfrida Valley Union 18, No. 23 Sanders Valley 2 (5 innings)
No. 11 St. Augustine Catholic 10, No. 22 Mogollon 0 (5 innings)
No. 9 Kearny Ray 11, No. 24 Tombstone 7
Second-round results
No. 4 Bisbee 12, No. 20 Winterhaven (California) San Pasqual 5
No. 7 Superior 12, No. 10 Elfrida Valley Union 8
No. 6 Miami 11, No. 11 St. Augustine Catholic 1 (5 innings)
Quarterfinals – Friday at Tempe Diablo Baseball Complex
No. 5 Eloy Santa Cruz vs. No. 4 Bisbee, 6 p.m.
