-Blade Central Arizona College Baseball Beat

(Grand Junction) - Central Arizona College is now 3-1 in the JUCO 2022 World Series. Each game so far has ended in a walk-off homerun. Their one loss ended the wrong way, but the last three ended surely the right way. This time it was a Dusty Garcia bomb in the bottom of the ninth to give Central Arizona College a 5-4 win over Wabash Valley College.

No really, it was a bomb.

On the first pitch of the inning.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a grin that big on number #5's face.

Even after the game. Dusty! Take a deep breath. You're going to hyperventilate!

It matched the grin on Trey Newman's face who hit a solo homerun to break a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth. Kiko Romero also homered in the bottom of the seventh to tie this game at three. That grin wasn't as big (but it was there) because there was work to be done.

The game was pitch-for-pitch drama, although it took four hours to get to the final act.

Matt Wilkinson threw the first six innings without giving up an earned run. He scrapped and battled and got out of some jams while striking out seven. Drew Sommers replaced first reliever Sam Rochard after two Warriors walked, and Sommers finished the final three, giving up two runs including the tying run in the ninth on a Brian Kalmer homerun.

There was no smile on Sommers face after that.

At all. 

To be honest, I've never seen him that mad.

But there sure was a huge grin after the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth. He pitched very well, he was the man for the job, striking out five in his three. 

This is the JUCO. Every pitch is a battle. Especially for pitchers.

Central only had six hits, with Ryan Ball collecting two, Logan Valencia singled, and the rest were out of the park.

Central will now play Walters State Friday evening to see who plays Cowley College in the Saturday night 2022 Championship game. Cowley beat the number one seed 16-8 late Thursday night sending them to the final game. Friday night, we find out if their opponent is Walters State or Central Arizona College. 

Two more wins for the big cajuna.

Let's see who walks on the hill in the first inning for the Vaqs on Friday. That's where it all starts. Drama even before the first pitch.

What a joy it has been watching this series so far. If you're a Central fan, you've seen guys who stepped up all year, step up even more in this JUCO. Central leads this series in homeruns with 14, Central's team batting average coming in was tenth of ten JUCO participants, now it's second at .349. Central has, by far, the best World Series ERA at 4.70, which is unheard of in these tournaments.

And to beat the band-these Vaqueros lead this tourney in fielding percentage.

You've seen the best catcher in this JUCO in Trey Newman. He's impossibly tireless, nobody even tried to steal a base on him after he threw out his first four in the first two games, and he's a brick wall back there. Find somebody who can work a walk at the plate like he can. And it's a bag of chips when he hits the go-ahead homerun in the bottom of the eighth.