Kofa rally falls one run short
The Kofa baseball team cut Deer Valley's four-run lead to one in the sixth inning of their 5A-II State quarterfinal game on Tuesday, but the Kings were unable to get any closer.
No. 5 seed Deer Valley won 5-4, ending No. 8 seed Kofa's run through the tournament.
"They're a little disappointed, but it was a great run and they played really well," Kofa coach Richy Leon said. "I'm not quite sure as far as records go because of the double-elimination format, but this is probably one of Kofa's best baseball teams for getting this far. It was a blast to see them buy into what we've been preaching all year and catch fire at the end."
Trailing 5-1 after five complete innings, Kofa's Cesar Valenzuela hit a two-RBI single and advanced to third base on the same play, and Claudia Valencia drove him in shortly after.
Albert Alvarez pitched a scoreless sixth to keep it a one-run game, but the Kings went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, ending their string of three straight wins when facing elimination.
Kofa had 12 hits in the game led by Sergio Sanchez (3-4, double) and Timmy Lee (2-4, stolen base).
"We had 12 hits but didn't get enough timely hits," Leon said. "There were plenty of opportunities here and there, but too many escaped us."
The Skyhawks scored four runs on Kofa starter Simon Corea in the first two innings to take the early advantage. Gustavo Villegas pitched two innings before Alvarez took over.
Kofa's first run came in the fourth, and Deer Valley made it a 5-1 game in the bottom of the fifth.
The Skyhawks will get a rematch with No. 1 Desert Ridge in the semifinals. The other semifinal matchup will be No. 2 Pinnacle against No. 3 Horizon.
