Ed Petruska-Pinal Central

SIGNAL PEAK — One game into the postseason, the pressure-cooker of playoff baseball has already put the squeeze on fifth-ranked Central Arizona College.

Following Thursday's 1-0 loss to Arizona Western at McSwain Field, the Vaqueros will be trying to stave off elimination Friday when the teams meet at 2 p.m. in Game 2 of their Region 1 semifinal series.

"They got us in Game 1," CAC coach Anthony Gilich said. "They got one (run) and we couldn't push one across. That's playoff baseball."

Throughout the season, Gilich has urged his team to play every game as if were an elimination game. On Friday, the situation will be all too real. If the Vaqueros manage to stay alive, the decisive Game 3 is Saturday at noon.

"We try to play every game like it's a Game 7, and it's not going to be any different," he said.

Jared Davis walloped a leadoff home run in the top of the eighth inning to send the fourth-seeded Matadors (33-15) to Thursday's stunning victory over top-seeded Central (46-11). The homer by Davis – his third of the year – came on the first pitch from Matt Wilkinson and cleared the 380-foot marker in left-center.

Wilkinson (10-2) was magnificent, striking out 15 in eight innings. The left-hander allowed seven hits and walked one. But the single run was enough for the Matadors to defeat the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference pitcher of the year, who came into the game with an NJCAA-best 1.08 ERA.

The Vaqueros were stymied by AWC right-hander Jorge Carvajal (10-3), who also went eight innings. Carvajal, selected to the all-ACCAC second team, let only one runner get into scoring position. He allowed five hits, walked none and struck out four.

"He's a good pitcher," Gilich said.

Central threatened in the ninth against all-ACCAC first-teamer Roland Marte. Leadoff batter Jonathon Hernandez singled but was erased on a 4-6-3 double play. Then came singles by Marcus Harrison and Luke Thiele. The game ended with Marte getting a strikeout to notch his fifth save.

CAC had runners at first and second in the fourth after Blake Avila led off with a single and advanced on Ashtin Webb's one-out single. That scoring opportunity ended with a popout to second and a strikeout.

The Vaqueros' other hits were one-out singles by Harrison in the second and seventh innings and Tyrese Johnson's two-out single in the eighth.

Daniel Davila pitched the ninth for Central. He worked around an error and a single to retire the final three batters, two on strikeouts.

The Matadors left six runners in scoring position.

The biggest defensive play of the game came in the Western third. Davis, who went 3 for 3, singled with two outs. Robert Miranda followed with a double to left. Davis attempted to score, but was tagged out at the plate by catcher Lou Albrecht following a relay from left fielder Webb to shortstop Thiele.

Miranda had two of AWC's eight hits.

The Vaqueros went 10-0 in postseason elimination games last season en route to winning the NJCAA World Series for the fourth time in program history and the second time under Gilich.