LAMAR, CO (May 17, 2019) – The No. 5 College of Southern Nevada baseball team had its ups-and-downs throughout the NJCAA Western Region championships Friday but that didn't deter the Coyotes.
 
No, losing a game on Friday didn't cost CSN its chance at an NJCAA College World Series berth as the Coyotes will still play for the right to go to the national championships on Saturday; instead, Southern Nevada will have to win two games instead of one to head to the dance. CSN fell in a winners' bracket semifinal to start the day against Central Arizona, 13-5, before responding with a win in the one-loss bracket over Trinidad State, 15-3.
 
The split day sets up a must-win for Southern Nevada in a 12:00 p.m. game against Central Arizona. CSN must win two games in order to earn the region's outright berth into the NJCAA championships.
 
Southern Nevada 15, Trinidad State 3: In a must-win game for the Coyotes, Southern Nevada posted just five hits but rolled to the big victory.
 
After losing in an early game where they struggled to take control, the Coyotes seized the momentum early with a five-run second inning. Cole Schaefer's RBI single helped CSN take a 2-0 lead, followed up by three more runs scoring on bases-loaded walks to give Southern Nevada a 5-0 lead.
 
Leading in the third inning, Matt Wong hit a grand-slam home run to put the game out of reach. Steven Rivas also hit a grand-slam in the fourth inning to send CSN to a run-rule victory.
 
Rivas led the team with 6 RBI's, also taking two walks. Southern Nevada's offense had nine walks. Buddy Pindel started the game but rested early after two innings, allowing Trever Berg to earn the pitching win with a scoreless inning. 
 
Central Arizona 13, Southern Nevada 5: A back-and-forth affair turned into a runaway victory for Central Arizona in the winners' bracket semifinals. 
 
Central Arizona scored four runs in the second inning to take an early lead, a lead CSN responded to with a four-run third inning that featured a Steven Rivas two-run home run and a two-run single by Johnny Cuevas. Trailing 6-5 entering the seventh inning, Central Arizona scored seven runs to put the game away.
 
Southern Nevada posted only four hits in the game, scoring thanks to extra-base hits. Nick Rupp took the pitching loss, lowering his season mark to 9-2.