Desert Oasis Aces dominate for third win at American Legion regional

When you pitch lights-out and mash at the plate, you’re tough to beat. The Desert Oasis Aces have been proof of that so far in the American Legion Western Regional, and added another exhibit to their case file Friday.

Jimmy Gamboa spun a six-hit shutout and Chaison Miklich had three RBIs in the team’s 12-0 victory over League City (Texas) in Denver.

“We were fortunate enough to get Gamboa through a gem, he was just awesome,” coach Paul Buboltz said. “We were able to put some runs on the board, so that was deifnitely nice.”

Through three games, the Aces have allowed one earned run in 21 innings for an ERA of 0.33. Desert Oasis has outscored its opponents 23-2.

The Aces offense struck early and often Friday, putting up a run in the top of the first and two more in second. They added one in the fourth and shut the door with three in the sixth and five in the seventh.

Zac Czerniawski scored three times for the Aces, and Parker Schmidt, Jason Sharman and Edarian Williams each scored twice. Teammate Colby Smith doubled and knocked in two, and Steven Giatti had a pair of RBIs.

“I think everybody kind of did their part,” Buboltz said. “Collectively as a team we got the job done.”

Desert Oasis is guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s region championship. The Aces play Tucson (Arizona) at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, with a second game at 2:30 p.m. if necessary. A loss Saturday would not eliminate them from contention.

“(Saturday’s) game is big because it would make somebody have to beat us twice,” Buboltz said. “With the amount of pitching we have left, I like our chances. It’s keeping this thing rolling.”

Contact Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.