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Corona primed for stretch run in weekend baseball series

By Brian Gomez

After breezing through a better half of the season, the Tempe Corona del Sol High School varsity baseball team begins its stretch run this weekend.

The Aztecs assembled a 16-5 record in the season’s first month, but the most pivotal span of games will take place in the coming weeks. Corona is scheduled to start a two-game series Friday afternoon at rival Mountain Pointe, before facing Desert Vista later this week.

But the Aztecs, who have won 11 of their last 13, are more than ready for the formidable challenge. They were undefeated in Central Region play at press time, having just completed a two-game sweep of Marcos de Niza, before celebrating an eight-inning win over Scottsdale Desert Mountain.

“These next five games will be very important for us,” Corona head coach Ron Davini said. “We’ve been very successful as of late. Things are falling our way.”

A combination of solid pitching and prolific hitting has carried Corona thus far. Senior third baseman Nate Combs is swinging one of the hottest bats in the state, while senior left-hander Matt Michael continues to dazzle on the mound.

Michael (5-1) strung together his best outing of the year late last month against Marcos. He pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, while fanning 11 batters in Corona’s 4-0 victory.

“Our pitching has been very consistent,” Davini said. “But we don’t seem to be able to close somebody out. We just have to tighten up our loose ends and get our bullpen some work.”

Michael also helped his own cause in Corona’s 12-4 win versus Phoenix Horizon by going 3-for-4 from the plate with a home run and three RBI. However, Combs stole the show by bashing three homers for six RBI.

“He’s starting to understand what he’s supposed to do at the plate,” Davini said. “It’s just a matter of him handling the notoriety and being patient. If he gets walked, he has to accept it.”

Perhaps one of the year’s most motivational wins came March 28 when Corona slipped by Marcos, 5-1, in the region opener. Marcos’ Lino Valenzuela struck out 10 batters, but Corona junior right-hander Scott Gurley was equally impressive, relinquishing just four hits on the afternoon. Corona junior shortstop Ben Rodriguez was perfect from the plate, while Combs went 2-for-4 with a double.

“Lino threw very well. He’s a very competitive young man,” Davini said. “He’ll beat you any day of the week if you let him. People have a lot of respect for him.”

The lone blemish for the Aztecs in the past few weeks came in the form of a 9-2 loss to Scottsdale Chaparral. Corona gave up three runs in both the fourth and sixth innings, as junior right-hander Mike Pollak sustained his first defeat.

“We’ve got to be a little more solid and focused,” Davini said. “We have to be very advantageous. If anybody makes a mistake, we’ve got to jump on it.”

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.

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