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Struggling Aztecs still have shot at trip to state

By Brian Gomez

   Most high school varsity baseball teams that win only one game during the heart of region play typically don’t advance to state.

   Head coach Ron Davini’s Corona del Sol Aztecs will not only attempt to defy the odds next week upon entering the Central Region Tournament as the No. 4 seed, but they’ll also try to avert their first losing season since 1996 and just their 10th in school history.

   “We’ll do anything to win right now,” said Davini, whose team remains in the hunt for a state bid despite dropping eight of nine games over a torrid three-week stretch that started in early April. “We can do some real damage if we can just turn the corner and get things done. We’re a better ballclub than our record has shown in the last couple weeks.”

   The Aztecs (12-15) secured a Central Region Tournament berth last week with a 6-1 victory over Marcos de Niza. They have beaten the Padres three times in as many games this season, but they have failed to record a win against any other Central Region team.

   Corona hopes to turn the tide against Desert Vista or Mountain Pointe when facing either of those schools in a series that begins May 6 at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The winner of that three-game set earns an automatic bid to the state tournament as the third team from the Central Region.

   “I’d actually rather come up and play a really good team because we get pumped up to play good teams,” Corona senior designated hitter Braden Johnson said. “We’ve got the talent, we just need to put it together. If we play well and not make any errors, we’ll win.”

   Having already clinched the Central Region title, No. 1-seeded Scottsdale Desert Mountain will meet the No. 2 seed in a best-of-three series that determines state seedings. At press time, Desert Vista held a half-game lead over Mountain Pointe for the No. 2 seed.

   The Aztecs haven’t fared well this season against Desert Vista or Mountain Pointe, having fallen in four of five meetings by an average of 3.8 runs per game.

   Corona’s lone win against Mountain Pointe came March 8 in part of the CdS Baseball Tournament. After scoring four runs in the first two innings, the Aztecs held on for a 5-4 victory that sent them to the tournament championship game.

   Corona was blanked by Mountain Pointe on April 11 in a game that lasted only six innings. Three days later, the Aztecs looked as if they were going to beat their archrival on the road, but their pitching staff was tattooed for 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

   Desert Vista has easily handled Corona this season, winning 3-1 and 4-0 in a pair of regular-season games. Corona’s bats have been silenced for only 11 hits in the two meetings between the schools.

   “We were getting down a little bit,” Johnson said. “We just didn’t know what was happening because it’s never happened to us before. We’ve always played pretty well and won a lot of games.”

   If the Aztecs stand any chance in the Central Region Tournament, they’ll have to get consistent performances from their power hitters, some of whom have fallen on hard times lately.

   Corona also needs steady outings from a pitching rotation ¾ senior right-handers Brett Nenaber, Mike Pollak and Scott Gurley and junior right-hander Chris Reap ¾ that has looked even shakier as the season has progressed. None of the four starters have pitched well on a consistent basis, leaving Davini without a go-to guy in big games.

   One of the few things Davini has been able to rely upon is his team’s bench, which has proven effective throughout the season. Senior right fielder Bevan Anderson reached base three times in as many at-bats April 24 against Marcos and junior shortstop David Strathman got on board with a single in the first inning, before reaching on a walk in the third and on a fielder’s choice in the fourth.

   “You tell kids when they get the opportunity, they have to step in and do it,” Davini said.

Looking ahead

   The Aztecs are scheduled to conclude the regular season May 2 when hosting No. 10 Mesa Mountain View. The game, which was rained out Feb. 26, will begin at 4 p.m. unless the Toros have to play a tiebreaker that day to determine East Valley Region Tournament seedings, in which case it will not be played.

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

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