Box Score

This championship Saturday afternoon affair is between the Yavapai College Roughriders and the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes
 
By Harrison Howard/csncoyotes.com
May 16, 2015
 
Las Vegas, NV- In a must win game for the CSN Coyotes they will be the away team against the Yavapai College Roughriders.  This is a must win game for the Coyotes, who lost earlier in the tournament to the Roughriders.  The Yavapai College Roughriders only need one victory today to claim the Western District Championship, were as the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes need two wins to become champions.  The earlier matchup between these two teams was a well fought battle by both sides, which included Coyotes' starting pitcher, Phil Bickford, throwing a no-hitter through seven and one third innings.  Once Bickford was replaced later in the inning, the Coyotes bullpen wasn't able to hold down the Roughriders' bats any longer, and they were able to score one run in the eighth and four runs in the ninth, which earned them the five to two victory. 
 
The Coyotes' decided to start pitcher Anthony Martine for their elimination game, and the Roughriders' called upon pitcher Degan Harte for their potential championship victory.  In the bottom of the second inning, the Yavapai College Roughriders took first lead of the ballgame with a two run home run to left field off the bat of center fielder Brody Clifford. 
 
With runners on first and third and two outs in the top of the third inning, Coyotes' designated hitter Mason Hayes singled to center field scoring their first run of the game.  The next batter for the Coyotes, first baseman Ali Deolarte, singled to left field scoring another run in the inning, tying the game at two.
 
Coyotes second baseman Tyler Brown lead off the top of the fifth inning with a single to left field.  After the Roughriders' pitcher Degan Harte balked, which advanced Brown to second base, starting right fielder Kenny Meimerstorf doubled down the left field line scoring Brown and giving the CSN Coyotes their first lead of the game.  The Coyotes weren't finished scoring just yet.  Mason Hayes double to right center field scoring Meimerstorf from second base, giving him his second RBI of the game.  Ali Deolarte followed in Haye's footsteps, singling in his second RBI of the game, giving the Coyotes the five to two lead.
 
Anthony Martine wasn't able to throw a shut down inning in the bottom of the fifth, allowing two base hits and a passed ball, which scored a run, shrinking the Coyotes' lead to two runs.  With one out in the inning the Coyotes brought in relief pitcher, Josh Nuernberg after Martine walked his second batter of the game.  Nuernberg wasn't able to stop the Roughriders' offense, allowing a single to load the bases, before giving up a grand slam to first baseman Austin Paschke, giving them the seven to five lead over the Coyotes.  Coyotes countered right back in the top of the sixth inning, with Tyler Brown's two out solo home run to deep left field, lessening the Roughriders' lead to just one run.
 
Josh Nuernberg continued to struggle in the bottom of the sixth inning, hitting the first batter with a pitch, and allowing back to back hits to Marco Jaime and Willie Calhoun, which scored a run, increasing the Roughriders' lead to two runs.  The next batter, Luke Doyle, hit a sacrifice fly to left field giving the Roughriders the nine to six lead over the Coyotes.  Nuernberg was able to get the next hitter to fly out to right field, but the damage was done after he allowed two runs to score in the inning.  
 
The Coyotes were unable to claw their way back into the game and were eliminated from the playoffs, with a final score of nine to six.  The Yavapai College Roughriders advance to the NJCAA Junior College World Series and the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes season is over.  Even though the Coyotes didn't make it to the World Series, they still had an amazing season.  They won the SWAC Regular Season Championship, the Region 18 Championship, and made it to the Western District Championship game.  Congratulation to the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes baseball team for an outstanding season, good luck to everyone moving forward, and I can't wait for next season to begin!
 
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