DIVISION I BASEBALL: Basic breaks through, nears crown

RENO — Basic’s offense got off to a slow start against Galena starter Dawson Campos in the Division I state baseball tournament Friday at Bishop Manogue High.

But the Wolves broke through in a big way in the fourth. Trent Bixby’s two-run triple highlighted a three-run fourth, and Basic went on to beat the Grizzlies 7-3 to move into the championship game at noon Saturday at Manogue.

Basic (35-4) faces Centennial (29-10), and the Bulldogs would have to beat the Wolves twice to take the title.

“Our intensity was up, and we knew we were going to get them and it was going to be a matter of time before we got them,” senior outfielder J.J. Smith said. “And we just had to keep going and keep hitting the ball like we were and they would fall, and then ended up doing it, they ended up falling.”

With Basic trailing 2-0, Ryne Nelson and Jack Wold started the bottom of the fourth with consecutive singles. After a sacrifice by Garrett Giles, Roger Riley doubled over the head of right fielder Charles Douglas to score Nelson.

Wold waited to make sure Douglas didn’t make the catch and had to hold at third. But Bixby came through with a triple off the fence in right-center field to score two runs and give Basic the lead for good.

“I was just trying to get a pitch I could hit and get a couple of runs in, get these boys ready to go and get these boys energized,” Bixby said.

Wold added an RBI single in the fifth, then Smith had the game’s most emotional hit with a two-run homer to right field in a three-run sixth inning. Smith, whose father, Jerry, died May 9, paused at home plate to point to the sky.

“The first thing in my mind was my dad and thinking about him and making him proud,” Smith said. “And that we’re going to win this game.”

Basic coach Scott Baker said Smith’s homer was a special moment.

“Everybody wants him to do something like that,” Baker said. “Obviously he’s playing for his dad, and something like that is as special as it gets.”

Wold was 3-for-3 and Bixby 2-for-3 for Basic, which had 11 hits.

“When it comes down to it, we have good, clutch hitters, and we have guys that want to be at the plate when it’s time to go,” Bixby said. “When you come through with timely hitting like that, it really breaks a team’s back. We were able to get ahead there (in the fourth inning), and really not let go and keep our foot on the pedal.”

Galena (28-9-1) took the lead in the third when Tom Lichty drove a ball off the wall in center field. Basic center fielder Nick Thompson crashed into the wall trying to make the catch, and Lichty rounded the bases for an inside-the-park homer and a 1-0 lead.

The Grizzlies scored an unearned run in the fourth, but that was all they could manage off Basic starter Ryne Nelson until the seventh. Nelson allowed two earned runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out five with two walks.

“He did a hell of a job,” Bixby said.

Now Basic is one win from ending a 29-year state title drought.

“It’s amazing, it’s intense, it’s outstanding, it’s emotional,” Smith said. “It’s a great feeling.”

Centennial 8, Galena 5 — Jake Rogers pitched the distance, allowing one earned run, as the Bulldogs eliminated the Grizzlies to move into the championship round.

Centennial made two-first inning errors that led to three unearned runs. But freshman Austin Kryszczuk led the offensive charge, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBIs and three runs for Centennial.

“This game, we were dialed in, but we didn’t play sharp defense,” Centennial coach Charlie Cerrone said. “And Jake Rogers on the mound was unwavering, and he did a great job of not succumbing to all the bad things going on around him.”

Frank Sessa was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, and Hayden Grant added a solo homer for Centennial, which is seeking its first state baseball title.

“We’ve just got to worry about the first game,” Cerrone said. “And then if there is a second game, it’s anybody’s game. But we’ve got to get the first one, we can’t even worry about the second one. They’re a top-quality team, one of the best teams in the state.”

Centennial 11, Reno 1 — Kyle Horton threw a three-hitter as the Bulldogs eliminated the Huskies (28-8) in five innings. Horton struck out three and walked one. He also went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Bulldogs led 6-1 before taking advantage of the wildness of Reno’s bullpen to score five runs in the top of the fifth.

Centennial drew five walks in the inning. Three Reno pitchers were lifted without retiring a batter.

Hayden Rosenkrantz went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and two RBIs, and Bryce Rheault was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for the Bulldogs.

Rogers added two RBIs for Centennial.

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at 702-380-4587 or dseiters@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters