The next stop for Nogales National will be Bend, Oregon for the Junior League West Regional (Aug. 3-11) after the team went 4-0 this past week to capture the state championship held at both Mehl Park and Curtis Park.
Nogales outscored opponents 53-10 along the way including a 12-2 victory over Western (3-2) Friday night at Curtis Park. Western beat Sunnyside twice in bracket play to reach the championship round and the team took a 2-0 lead on Nogales in the top of the first thanks to a leadoff double from Yandel Rios-Arvayo, a single from Marcello Carpio and three walks.
JP Tapia 2-RBI homer put Nogales up for good 3-2 in the first. https://t.co/8Lux8MSYJf pic.twitter.com/ILqSB3OtGP
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 16, 2022
Xaciel Garcia got the start for Nogales and he settled down from there with three strikeouts to end the threat and then he got things going in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff single of his own. Garcia would score on an error later in the inning and Ruben Celaya hit a double and that was followed by a long shot from JP Tapia to put Nogales up for good 3-2.
Western loaded the bases again in the third inning with two outs on double from Dane Johnson and two walks but Celaya took the mound in relief and he shut down the next six of seven batters he faced to close the game out.
Meanwhile, a two-run home run from Celaya fueled a four-run third and an RBI double from Nico Bernal put Nogales up 8-2 heading to the fifth inning where Nogales scored four more runs for the 12-2 win. Aiden Vasavilbaso hit a leadoff double, Diego Gomez singled and E.J. Mayer brought in Vasavilbaso. Garcia came up with an RBI double and then two walks loaded the bases for Celaya and he singled in the 12th run under the run-rule regulation.
Sunnyside Intermediate (50/70) All-Stars defeated Prescott 21-1 to claim the state championship at Nogales. Sunnyside outscored three opponents in the tournament by a combined 46-1. It advances to the West Regional at Nogales starting Wednesday: https://t.co/EBNsjUH1FH
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) July 16, 2022
What a state title run for the Thornydale Juniors All-Stars softball team at Avondale, capping a 4-0 record with a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to claim the 8-7 victory in the championship over Williams. The details: https://t.co/Gl2yt2q5As
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) July 16, 2022
FRIDAY, JULY 15
STATE 8-10 BASEBALL: MESA (D-7)
Nogales defeated Casa Grande (Elimination)
Canyon View 5, West Flagstaff 4 (Elimination)
Top Canyon View performers:
- William Duncan, 1 for 4, RBI — walk-off single in the bottom off the sixth, part of a three-run rally.
- Connor Tumlinson, 2 for 3, run; 5 1/3 IP, 11H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 8Ks
- Walker Duncan, 1 for 3, 2 RBIs
- Sam McCarrell, 2 for 2, run
- Grayson Stern, 1 for 2, 2 RBIs
- Dylan Kuhlman, 2/3 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K
STATE 9-11 BASEBALL: PHOENIX (D-3)
Rincon 11, Canyon View 3
Top Rincon performers:
- Nathan Ramirez, 3 for 3, two runs, two doubles
- Justus Sipe, 2 for 3, two runs, four RBIs, double, home run
- Mikey Ortiz, 2 for 4, RBI
- Brenden Byars, 3 for 4, run, RBI, two doubles
- Hudson Haner, 4IP, 6H, 3R, 1ER, 1BB, 5Ks
- DeMarco Valenzuela, 1 2/3 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2Ks
STATE 50/70 BASEBALL: NOGALES (D-8)
Prescott 16, Western 8 (Elimination)
Sunnyside 21, Prescott 1 (4) (Championship)
STATE JUNIORS BASEBALL: CURTIS (D-5)
Nogales 12, Western 2 (5) (Championship)
STATE SOFTBALL 8-10: SIERRA VISTA (D-8)
Phoenix Arcadia 21, Sunnyside 0 (4)
Thornydale 15 Pinal Mountain 10
Willcox 7, Goodyear 0
Top Thornydale performers:
- Ashlyn Perkins, 3 for 5, three runs, five RBIs, double, triple
- McKenna Szelewski, 2 for 5, two runs, RBI; 5 2/3 IP, 6H, 4R, 2ER, 7BB, 12Ks
- Payton Johnson, 2 for 4, run, two RBIs
STATE JUNIORS SOFTBALL: AVONDALE (D-2)
Thornydale 8, Williams 7 (Championship)
SATURDAY, JULY 16
STATE 8-10 BASEBALL: MESA (D-7)
Rincon vs. Arcadia, 8 p.m.
Canyon View vs. Nogales, 8 p.m. (Elimination)
STATE 9-11 BASEBALL: PHOENIX (D-3)
Rincon vs. Arcadia, 5:30 p.m.
Nogales vs. Cactus Foothills, 7:45 p.m.
STATE LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL: LITCHFIELD (D-2)
Marana vs. Mesa, 8 a.m.
Douglas vs. West Flagstaff, 5:30 p.m.
Sunnyside vs. Mt. Graham, 5:30 p.m.
STATE SOFTBALL 8-10: SIERRA VISTA (D-8)
Thornydale vs. Prescott Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Willcox vs. Round Valley, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 17
STATE 9-11 BASEBALL: PHOENIX (D-3)
Canyon View vs. TBD, 5:30 (Elimination)
MONDAY, JULY 18
STATE SOFTBALL 8-10: SIERRA VISTA (D-8)
Sunnyside vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. (Elimination)
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Named one of “Arizona’s Heart & Sol” by KOLD and Casino del Sol, Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014, he was awarded the Ray McNally Award in 2017 and a 2019 AZ Education News recognition. He was a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. He was the first in Arizona to write about high school beach volleyball and high school girls wrestling and his unique perspective can only be found here and on AZPreps365.com. Andy is a Southern Arizona voting member of the Ed Doherty Award, recognizing the top football player in Arizona, and he was named a Local Hero by the Tucson Weekly for 2016. Andy was named an Honorary Flowing Wells Caballero in 2019, became a member of the Sunnyside Los Mezquites Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2021 and he was a member of the Amphi COVID-19 Blue Ribbon Committee. He earned a Distinguished Service Award from Amphitheater and he was recognized by City Councilman Richard Fimbres. Contact Andy Morales at amoralesmytucson@yahoo.com
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