No. 3 Nogales rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against No. 7 Gilbert Campo Verde to win 7-6 on Monday in the elimination-bracket final of the 5A state baseball playoffs at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
The Apaches (18-10) will play No. 2 Peoria Sunrise Mountain (28-4-1) in a semifinal game Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Mesa’s HoHoKam Park.
Nogales, which lost to Sunrise Mountain 8-1 last week in the third round of the winners’ bracket, must beat the Mustangs twice to reach the championship game May 14.
The Apaches rallied against Campo Verde on Monday night after losing a 5-1 lead going into the fifth inning.
Campo Verde scored two runs in the fifth and then two more in the seventh to force extra innings.
The Coyotes took a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth on a home run by Gunner Bryant.
Nogales’ bottom of the eighth started with a fly out.
Alan Durazo then reached base on an error and stole second base.
Ralph Felix, who went 3 for 5 with a run and RBI, followed with a single that scored Durazo to tie the game at 6.
David Zazueta then hit a walk-off double, scoring Felix for the winning run.
Zazueta was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Durazo had three runs and two RBIs.
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