"They totally outplayed us for eight innings" said head coach Anthony Gilich.

Yes but even with Cochise leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, you know enough about this team to know.

The wind was blowing out into the desert so you'd expect a few to go out, but only one went out and it was in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was Cochise's best and it was Central's best pitchers in a fairly good baseball game with a tremendous finish.

Makoa Rosario lifts SAC fly for first Central run

George Castillo took a few innings to get going, keeping the Apaches to only one hard hit ball until he was lifted in the eighth. He struck out seven. Ben Skuro relieved and gave nothing.

The bottom of the ninth inning:

With Cochise leading 3-1 and their starter still throwing, Pikai Winchester hit a lead-off homerun to the opposite field and it's now 3-2 with no outs. It's timely things like this that completely change a team's outlook. Pikai played one heck of a baseball game for this team. The next batter Roger Varela walked.

"He had a great at-bat, probably a ten pitch at bat" said Gilich (his second like that of the game).

"The event" Jayden Eggiman is now a pinch-runner for Varela and with Makoa Rosario up, he gets the bunt signal and with a 3-2 count, Gilich gives it to him again. Makoa takes the next pitch for a walk. You just can't put that in a box score. With runners on first and second and no outs, it's another bunt signal for Ernie de la Trinidad. DLT executes it perfectly and now it's the tying run on third, the winning run on second with one out. 

Pitching change for Cochise and their terrific reliever Juan Aguilera enters and Cochise intentionally walks Jaime Estrada to load the bases.

"That was a brave move" said Gilich. You walk Estrada to get to the ACCAC player of the year in Caleb Henderson. Either way, you're in trouble with these two. With bases loaded, Aquilera strikes out Henderson. Up comes Mitchell Robinson, 0-3 on the day.

"I told Eggiman on third, anything in the dirt, anything gets away even a little from the catcher, hit it."

Truth be told, Robinson was having a tough day at the plate, but a player like this going 0-3 is to be feared because you know something is right around the corner.

And it was.

Aguilera threw a first pitch buckler slider to Robinson and on the 0-1, the fastball was ripped into center field, two runs score, and Central Arizona College wins the first game in the best of three Region I series. It's a two-out walk-off for Robinson.

See fan video below:

Dakody Clemmer will start Game 2 today at The Big House. First pitch is 2:00PM