-Blade Contributing Writer Central Arizona College Baseball Beat

(Signal Peak) - "These runs don't carry over to Friday" said the head coach to the team after the first game of the Region 1 play-offs Thursday afternoon.

Well, they did in this game after the doubleheader sweep to end the regular season against Yavapai Community College, when they scored thirty runs.

But what are you gonna tell your team?

Just that, obviously.

The Vaqueros blew open a very tight baseball game in the bottom of the fifth inning with eight runs, then added nine more in the bottom of the sixth for a 17-3 win against Yavapai for a first game win. 

The story, yet again, is about the bullpens.

And of course, about the Central hittting.

The Roughriders starting pitcher and Central starter Tyler Woessner threw beauties for four and a half innings and it was 0-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the Yavapai starter was relieved with bases loaded.

This why I say, the story again, is about bullpens.

Time and time again, it's one or possibly two of Centrals' opponents in the ACCAC in the starting rotation that are able to keep their team in these games, but the bullpens, seemingly so more this year than in the past, drop the proverbial ball.

But Central Arizona's bullpen doesn't do that, hasn't done that. No less, head coach Anthony Gilich can't even get them enough work.

A few of Central relievers, Drew Sommers, Daniel Davila, Matt Wilkinson, and Liam Evans, for example, have a collective ERA 1.87.

You want to make noise in the post-season? Get a bullpen.

The Yavapai starter did a fabulous job with his changeup and breaking ball keeping Central to two hits through four innings, and Woessner did the same with that faster-than-fast fastball and slider nicking the outside of the plate. Woessner walked three through five, but they weren't by much, juuuuuust missing. 

In the bottom of the fifth, with a man on, Chase Valentine lined a single into left, Devon Dixon's sac bunt attempt was a diving catch by the Yavapai third baseman for the first out, but he threw it into right trying to double off Valentine.

After a superb at-bat, catcher Trey Newman was hit in his left shoulder on a full count pitch to load the bases.

Out goes the starting pitcher, then the fun starts.

Jaylin Rae lined a single into right between the first and second baseman, and with sloppy defensive play, all three runs scored to break the scoreless tie. But the clutch hit from Rae became a distant memory as Central put together two innings with nine singles, five HBP, and a total of eight walks.

Who needs extra base hits, when you're hit five times and walked eight times.

In the last three games against Yavapai, the Vaqueros have scored 47 runs.

But those  runs don't carry over to today. Expect another starting pitcher battle. 

And I mean that.

The final was 17-3 in the best-of-three with Woessner as the winning pitcher and game two is today at 2:00PM at McSwain Field. And take five dollars with you.

The ACCAC mandate is a charge for post-season games, this is not a school decision.