-Blade Contributing writer Central Arizona College Baseball

(Coolidge) - What's the deal with a five inning game in baseball.

That's a statement-not a question.

It's a pandemic-whatta ya want? Is the answer.

Every matchup is a doubleheader with first game being seven innings, the ACCAC has lost eight games this season, and you throw in a run-rule game, you get five innings.

We'll take it.

"One of the things people don't see is the work Olsen does during the week before his Saturday start" said the head coach Anthony Gilich.

"He's been consistent all year and what's even better is that he has worked on improving his command and now he has the best command he's had all season of all of his pitches. Hitters can't cheat on a particular pitch now."

In game one, Mat Olsen threw the complete-game three hitter in five innings as the Vaquero bats staked him with a 10-0 lead after two innings.

The only bad thing about that is "come on guys, I've been sitting too long during these four and six run innings."

Tough problem to have.

Olsen will take it.

Mat struck out four, gave up one earned run, and Central got rbi doubles from Kiko Romero, Dayton Dooney, and Devon Dixon in a big 11-1 win.

Each had two hits, Jake Jarvis drove home two runs, one with a sacrifice fly, Dooney drove in three overall, and JD McLaughlin doubled and scored three times.

Preston Godfrey did what you love in a leadoff hitter, walk two times and scored twice.

Ok so nobody got more than three at bats in this game but whatta ya want.

In game two "he did a really good job" said Gilich of Western starter Jose Tavares.

"He threw a bunch of strikes and has a really good change-up."

Central starter Liam Evans sailed through four innings with weak contact, a nice command, and Central trailed 1-0.

Evans got into a little trouble in the fifth while three runs scored, but after four innings and a three-run ya-ya from McLaughlin, it was 4-3 Western after six.

The first reliever Drew Sommers saw his first real hotspot this year, and three more Western runs came across for a 7-3 lead, and it stayed that way as Western gained a split of the double-header.

"They are for sure one of the best hitting teams in the conference" said Gilich of Western.

"I always tell the guys that when you win all the weeks, you win a championship, but if you lose just one, you can lose it all."

Central split the week, and another week starts with Pima Community College on Tuesday at home. Pima has won 20 straight.

"This is a very tough conference" continued Gilich.

"It's very hard to win games, we continue each day and every week to maintain a game seven mentality, a mindeset of 'every game is the most important', and every minute, prepare for the play-offs."

Three more hits in the double-header from shortstop-utility Devon Dixon who is shining, in possibly his first full year of shortstop play. Dixon can even pitch. He is currently at .343 and second on the team in hitting behind another red-hot hitter in Dusty Garcia. Romero is hitting everything as well and is now hitting .339.

We haven't even talked about Dooney, Godfrey, Hayden Seldomridge and McLaughlin, all up in that batting average level, basically all year.

Central is now at 33-3 and has a two-game lead over this Tuesday's opponent, Pima.

FUN!

Sweeping Pima will give Central a stranglehold in the conference standings.

Tueday's starters are Hunter Omlid (8-0) and Tyler Woessner (7-0).