Box Score

By James Hernandez 

Despite taking the "scenic route" in the Region 18 and Western District tournaments the last two weeks, the College of Southern Nevada continued its date with destiny and became one of ten teams to punch its ticket to the 60th anniversary of the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado.

After losing the tournament opener the Coyotes won three straight games to set up a winner-take-all game versus Central Arizona College Saturday afternoon.

Following a Justin Lutes single in the top of the first, the pride of Little Rock, Arkansas Blake Wiggins got CSN on the scoreboard with some 2-run yard work to left center field. Cody Milner came through with a clutch two-run base knock in the top of the third that plated Wiggins and Lutes to extend the Coyotes lead to 4-1.

The Vaqueros got right back in the game with a three spot in the third off Blake Inouye with RBI hits off the bats of Jake Vander Wal and Pikai Winchester, knotting the game up 4-4.

With the game knotted up 4-4 in the top of the fifth, CSN second baseman Dillon Johnson showed the world why he was born with that clutch gene in his DNA. "DJ" gave the Coyotes a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth with a run scoring groundout, but his go-ahead RBI single back up the box to plate Blake Wiggins gave his team the lead for good, 6-5.

Johnson's third run batted in in the ninth plated Jarrett Perns and gave CSN some much needed breathing room heading into the final frame of the game.

Freshman pitcher Alex Tisminezky grew up right before our eyes in the Western District title game, firing five innings of one-hit baseball that included four punch-outs after coming in to relieve Blake Inouye in the bottom of the fifth inning. "Tizzy" and the boys showed the heart and resolve of a champion once again as the completed its second epic tournament run in the last two weeks.

Southern Nevada outlasted Central Arizona  8-5 to claim its first Western District Title since 2010, and punched its ticket to the 2017 Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado.