HENDERSON, Nev. — May 7, 2026 — Fourth-seeded Central Arizona College used a 21-hit offensive performance to defeat top-seeded College of Southern Nevada, 15–10, Thursday afternoon in Game Two of the 2026 NJCAA Region 1 Baseball Championship at Lied Field | Morse Stadium.
The game marked the second contest of the four-team double-elimination tournament hosted by CSN on the Henderson campus.
Despite multiple comeback attempts from the Coyotes, the Vaqueros answered throughout the afternoon and pulled away late to hand CSN its opening-round loss.
The Coyotes struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Caden Kirby doubled to right center, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Harvey Smerdon to give CSN an early 1–0 lead.
Central Arizona answered in the second inning when Kamden Lanphere launched a solo home run to left center to tie the game at 1–1.
CSN regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Carson Anderson singled and later stole second before Jase DeSantis lined an RBI single through the right side, putting the Coyotes back in front 2–1.
The Vaqueros responded with a big third inning, scoring four runs on five hits. Chris Parkin highlighted the rally with a two-run home run, while Ty Silva and Jaylen Payne each added RBI hits as Central Arizona moved ahead 5–2.
The Coyotes chipped away in the fourth inning. Anderson doubled to right center and DeSantis followed with an RBI double down the left-field line. Moments later, Smerdon singled through the left side to score DeSantis and trim the deficit to 5–4.
Central Arizona created separation again in the sixth inning. After a throwing error extended the frame, the Vaqueros capitalized with RBI singles from Jacob Croxford, Brett Rozman, and Parkin to extend the lead to 8–4.
CSN answered in the seventh inning when Jeffrey Peters III delivered an RBI single to score Alex Rhynes, cutting the deficit to 8–5 and keeping the Coyotes within striking distance.
The Vaqueros added another run in the eighth inning following a defensive miscue, but the Coyotes responded immediately in the bottom half. Smerdon drew a leadoff walk before Evan Festa launched a two-run home run to right center. Later in the inning, Dylan Venturini delivered an RBI pinch-hit single to score Brandon Swanson, pulling CSN within 9–8 heading into the ninth.
Central Arizona then delivered the decisive blow in the top of the ninth inning, erupting for six runs. Emiliano Candela drew a bases-loaded walk before Croxford lined a two-run single to left field. Silva later connected on a three-run home run to left field as the Vaqueros extended the lead to 15–8.
The Coyotes continued to battle in the bottom of the ninth. DeSantis reached on an error before Kirby launched a two-run home run to left field, but CSN could not complete the comeback.
Kirby led the Coyotes offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBIs, and two runs scored. DeSantis added two hits, including a double, while driving in two runs and scoring twice. Smerdon collected two hits and two RBIs, and Festa added a two-run home run as CSN finished with 15 hits.
On the mound, James Bradford suffered the loss after allowing eight runs over 5.1 innings. Benjamin Schroeder worked 1.2 innings in relief before Festa finished the final two innings.
The Coyotes will now face Cochise College Friday at 10:00 a.m. in an elimination game at Morse Stadium. The winner will advance to face the loser of Friday afternoon's Game Four matchup between Arizona Western College and Central Arizona College on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.
All games of the 2026 NJCAA Region 1 Baseball Championship are being played at Lied Field | Morse Stadium on the Henderson campus. Full tournament coverage and updates are available at www.csncoyotes.com.
