Wolves squeak past Wildcats in opener

When he was on the mound, Basic right-hander Nick Feher used a finesse approach to be effective.

"I threw a lot of off-speed pitches at them. I pretty much just try to keep hitters off-balance," he said.

At the plate and running the bases, Feher used his power and speed to help the Wolves upset top-seeded Las Vegas 6-5 in the first round of the Sunrise Regional on Tuesday at Basic.

Feher threw five innings to give his team a chance to win. He finished what he started when he doubled and scored the winning run in the seventh inning.

Mike Schulte’s one-out single off Wildcats right-hander Wesley Grass scored Feher to break a tie.

The Wolves’ Brett Wellman, who caught Feher for five innings, pitched the last two innings to earn the win.

"We came out here with the mentality that we’ve got to hit the ball, we’ve got to jump on top of them and stay ahead," Feher said. "It’s much easier to pitch with a lead."

Basic (17-10) scored two runs in the first inning and took a 4-0 lead in the third on Marcus Romero’s two-run homer.

Feher put the Wolves up 5-2 with an RBI single in the fifth. But he gave that run back in the bottom of the inning when Las Vegas’ Marvin Campbell led off with a homer to center.

The Wildcats (25-8) loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Basic coach Mike Kazek pulled Feher for Wellman, who worked out of the jam but also allowed Las Vegas to tie it at 5.

Feher allowed five runs, three earned, and struck out four. He used a changeup, curve and splitter to make his low 80s fastball more effective.

"Nick threw exactly the game that we were looking for today," Kazek said. "He wasn’t overpowering, but he used his off-speed stuff and threw it for strikes. When he needed to come in with the fastball, he spotted it up and did a great job."

Las Vegas, which went 12-0 in the Northeast Division while outscoring opponents 142-25, plays Chaparral in the losers bracket at 3 p.m. today.

Romero went 3-for-3 with three RBIs for Basic, which meets Green Valley at 6 p.m.

• Coronado 11, Rancho 0 — At Eldorado, Gary Detwiler went 2-for-2 with a homer and four RBIs to pace the Cougars’ five-inning win over the Rams.

Coronado’s Javy Perez fired a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and Ben Morris doubled and scored three times.

• Silverado 10, Eldorado 0 — At Eldorado, Stefan Norman and Mike McDade hit two-run homers as the Skyhawks beat the Sundevils in five innings.

Chase Bradford threw a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks for Silverado.

• Green Valley 10, Chaparral 0 — At Basic, Kyle Konicek was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs and Nick Melino went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Gators over the Cowboys in five innings.

Max Javate threw a three-hitter to get the win.

SUNSET REGIONAL

• Spring Valley 14, Cimarron-Memorial 7 — At Durango, Cody Collins went 4-for-5 with three doubles and four RBIs to lead the Grizzlies over the Northwest Division champs.

Enzo Bello was 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs for Spring Valley.

Zach Walters went 2-for-3 for Cimarron.

• Arbor View 8, Durango 2 — At Durango, Dustin Hobbs tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts as the Aggies beat the Trailblazers.

Michael Blazek went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs for Arbor View.

• Bishop Gorman 9, Palo Verde 4 — At Centennial, Taylor Cole hit a two-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning and spark the Gaels past the Panthers.

All nine Gorman starters got at least one hit. Scott Dysinger was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Jeff Malm tripled for Gorman. Brothers Joe and John Rickard each had a double for the Gaels.

• Sierra Vista 8, Centennial 0 — At Centennial, Lance Ray hit a three-run homer and Chad Claus added a two-run homer and a double to pace the Lions past the Bulldogs.

Justin Baca and Josh Krumme combined on a one-hitter for the Lions.