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Aztecs can’t build on strong finish, lose to Brophy at State

By Brian Gomez

What looked like a turnaround for the Corona del Sol High School varsity baseball team was really nothing but an illusion.

After winning four of their last five games to close the season, the No. 3-seeded Aztecs were promptly disposed in the opening round of the Class 5A state playoffs last week when they sustained a 3-2 loss at No. 2 Phoenix Brophy.

Corona clung to a 2-0 lead after four innings, but Brophy posted a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and Braden Wells trotted home on a game-winning sacrifice fly in the seventh. Corona junior right-hander Chris Reap took the loss.

It marked the second straight year that the Aztecs were eliminated in the first round of state, as they dropped an 11-7 decision last season to Goldwater. It was the first time since 1996 that Corona (16-18) finished with a sub-.500 record.

The defeat normally wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise for a team plagued by inconsistency throughout the season had the Aztecs not raised so many eyebrows at last week’s Central Region Tournament.

Corona cost Desert Vista a state tournament berth by winning two of three games in convincing fashion at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

The Aztecs outscored the Thunder 27-4 in a pair of victories that featured everything from big innings to blown defensive plays to botched calls. Largely overshadowed in the wins were a pair of stellar pitching performances by senior right-handers Mike Pollak and Brett Nenaber, who came on in relief during the rubber game after senior right-hander Scott Gurley went down with a left knee injury.

Corona avenged a 7-6 loss to Desert Vista with a 16-1 shellacking during which Pollak had a home run disallowed in the first inning. Pollak’s blast clearly went over the wall in left-center field, but the home plate umpire ruled that it was a “fence-aided home run,” according to Corona head coach Ron Davini.

“My argument was that the ball was out of here,” Davini said. “It just climbed the fence. It almost killed the fence.”

The run proved to be inconsequential when the Aztecs scored 14 times during a monumental fourth inning in which the Thunder self-destructed. The game was called after five innings.

“I was a little too fired up because I was trying to hit a ball far enough so they couldn’t call it back,” Corona senior designated hitter Braden Johnson said.

“I knew one team was going to show up, and I was hoping it would be us. We just came together and tore it up.”

The Aztecs celebrated an 11-3 win in the series finale thanks to another big fourth inning. Johnson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs and senior catcher Josh Tarnow drove in a pair of runs on a 3-for-3 effort from the plate.

“It’s the psyche that you have to worry about in these young kids,” Davini said. “Are they going to stay up and keep going at them?”

Next year, Corona must replace 12 seniors, nearly all of whom made an impact this season. The Aztecs lose all but one starting position player, as their lone returnee will be junior outfielder Eric Smith.

Look for infielders Phil Anderegg and David Strathman to assume bigger roles. Reap figures to anchor a pitching staff that will include juniors Chris Rodriguez, Sean Fitzgerald and Zach Ceigler.

College-bound

Six graduating seniors will continue their baseball playing careers next spring. Outfielders K.C. Kaiser and Kyle Chilton and second baseman Eric Gundry have signed with South Mountain Community College; Tarnow is headed to Grand Canyon University; Johnson is bound for Mesa Community College and Gurley is going to Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Pollak will attend Arizona State on a football scholarship this fall. Nenaber hopes to make the football team as a walk-on.

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.

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