COD (28-15) needed to win two to advance and they did, getting timely hitting, big pokes and giant strike outs as the Roadrunners swept and sank the #9 seeded Long Beach City Vikings (29-14) 12-5 & 10-9.
In game two, it was do-or-die for the Roadrunners after dropping game one on Friday, 12-9. Desert, as the "road" team, would get onto the board first with a four spot in the top of the first highlighted by a three-run home run by sophomore first baseman Jaxon Millet (Bethel, CT), giving the Roadrunners a 4-0 lead. Long Beach City would cut that lead in half in the bottom half of the frame with a two-run homer, 4-2.
Desert would tack on a run in the second and two more in the third, to add to their lead, 7-2 and the Vikings would score three unearned runs in the third to make the score 7-5.
Then the pitching staffs for both teams hunkered down. Freshman right handed starting pitcher Beto Beltran (Indio Shadow Hills) got through two and two-thirds innings before he pulled when Long Beach City scored their fifth run.
Leaving the rest of the game to freshman left handed relief pitcher Michael-Alan Stanford (Westlake Village), who tossed his longest outing of the season and it was an absolute gem. Going six and a third of shut out baseball, striking out four to grab his second win of the season.
Desert would add five runs in the top half of the ninth. After sophomore second baseman Dalton Thomas (Wenatchee (WA) H.S.) scored on a bases loaded walk to freshman short stop Dillon Baker (Tampa (FL) Carrollwood Day School), the Vikings coaches had a meeting on the mound. Immediately after that meeting, freshman third baseman Spencer Dickinson (Rancho Mirage H.S.) crushed a grand slam to give the Roadrunners a 12-5 lead. Stanford tossed a near perfect ninth to seal the win.
Sophomore center fielder William Owens (Crescent City (FL) H.S.) went 2 for 5 with a pair of runs scored and freshman designated hitter Brian Parry (Redlands H.S.) went 2 for 2 with 3 walks, a run scored and a run batted in.
Baker went 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI's and Dickinson went 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI's. Freshman catcher Martin Sanchez (Beaumont H.S.) went 2 for 5 with a run scored and Millet went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI's. Freshman right fielder Joeseph Jimenez (Palm Desert H.S.) went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI and Thomas went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the win.
In game three, late inning heroics were the order of the afternoon as Desert rallied from a 9-2 deficit to win the series on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the tenth, 10-9.
Long Beach City would strike first on a passed ball, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the second and would add to that lead in the fifth, plating a pair on a double to left and adding two more on an error in right field, giving the Vikings a 5-0 lead.
The Roadrunners would respond with couple runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the lead to 5-2.
Freshman right handed starting pitcher Johnny Young (Redding Shasta) would toss five innings striking out two.
The Vikings would pad their lead in the top of the sixth off of the Roadrunners freshman right handed relief pitcher Matthew Sapakoff (Littleton (CO) H.S.). Sapakoff would get the first two Long Beach City batter easily and then it went sideways after that, four runs later he would be pulled for freshman right handed relief pitcher Kenneth Schechter (Newtonville (MA) Newton North) who promptly got the Vikings to line out to left, but the damage had been done and the visitors had a commanding 9-2 lead.
Schechter (2.1 innings) and sophomore left handed relief pitcher Kenny Keller (Tampa (FL) Thomas R. Robinson) (2 innings) would combine to shut down Long Beach City for the rest of the game.
Desert would explode in the eighth, scoring five in the inning. After Owens has grabbed a bases loaded walk, the Vikings brought in their closer to try and collect a five-out save. Parry would hit a sacrifice fly to right, to score a run and Baker crushed a 3-run shot to left, getting the Roadrunners to within two, 9-7.
In the ninth, the Roadrunners added two more to tie the game at 9-9, as Thomas punched a single to center to score Jimenez and Owens poked a single to left to score freshman pinch runner Kaelor Fogo (Aurora (CO) Smoky Hill).
In the tenth, Desert loaded the bases with two outs and Thomas walked the bases full as freshman pinch runner Matt Cruz (Indio H.S.) scored the series winning run.
State Playoffs Ticket Prices are as follows: General Admission is $12. Faculty, Staff, Children Under 12, Adults 60+ & Students w/ Valid A.S. card are $8.
The Roadrunners will now head off to the Super Regional and to the #1 seed in SoCal, the Saddleback Bobcats of Mission Viejo for a best-of-three game series: Friday at 2p, Saturday at 1 p and if necessary, Sunday at 12p.
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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.
Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.
