Nobody knows how this happened but it did. The Cochise Apache pitching staff held the nation's number two team in total hits to just five, none in the last three innings, and the Vaqueros' season ended on Saturday with a loss in Region I play. 

Peyton Remy postgame and the ol' 25'er George Castillo. 

Stunned is the word. Stunned I tell ya. What just happened?

After the second game in the best of three, a 20-18 Cochise shootout win, this third game was nothing of that sort. Peyton Remy got the start when everyone was wondering who it would be. 

CASA GRANDE DISPATCH RECAP

What a choice. After three innings the score was 0-0 and Remy had struck out five, nods of approval in the stands and people were talking. A single here and a single there off Remy in the fourth and the Apaches took the lead at 3-0. Ben Skuro shut down Cochise for the rest of the game after they had "excuse me sir" scored three more in the fifth and took a 6-0 lead. It was a very quiet 6-0 lead. Central answered with three in the bottom of the fifth as Makoa Rosario hit a loud double into the left field corner to score two and he scored on an Ernie de la Trinidad SAC fly to cut the lead to a more-than-manageable 6-3 deficit. 

Makoa heads into the dugout after scoring Central's third run in the fifth.

But the Vaquero bats mysteriously went quiet, and it was tense and almost silent at The Big House for the final three innings. Caleb Henderson hit the hardest ball of the game into centerfield in the seventh with a man on second but it was caught, and Cochise added one more in the ninth for a final of 7-4.

It was a terrific year with way more ups than downs, and this game was won by Cochise, plain and simple. Hats off. There's really only one way to improve in 2017, and it's just a few more wins. Just wait and see what this staff has ready for next year.

What a year.

DB9 Post-Season Video Recap

-Blade