Palo Verde rides senior pitcher to Sunset Region baseball title
Palo Verde senior pitcher Jaret Godman wants the ball in crucial situations.
He got it again and again during the Sunset Region baseball tournament.
Godman picked up two victories Saturday as the Panthers defeated Centennial 15-0 and 1-0 to claim the Sunset title at Shadow Ridge and earn a berth in the state tournament.
For the Sunset tournament, he had three wins and a save in four appearances.
“It’s just the way he is,” Palo Verde coach Joe Hallead said. “He battles, and you know with the ball in his hand that you’re going to win the ballgame.”
Godman started and threw four shutout innings in the opener, then came on in relief and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings to get the victory and combine with Bryce Robison on a three-hitter in the decisive second game.
“Jaret’s been our horse all year,” Hallead said. “That kid right there pitches, hits, plays defense, and he’s been a captain for us all year. I knew with him with the ball at the end of the game that we were going to win this thing.”
Palo Verde (28-9) blasted five homers in the opener, but both teams struggled offensively in the second game. Godman and his twin brother, Jacob, got the Panthers going in the third inning. Jaret Godman singled up the middle, and Jacob Godman reached on a bunt single.
That set up Josiah Cromwick’s RBI single for the only run. Centennial finished 27-9.
Sunrise Region
Nick Thompson scattered seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks as Basic held off Rancho 12-10 for the Sunrise Region title at Green Valley.
The Wolves (30-5) scored seven runs in the third to take a 9-5 lead. The rally included RBI doubles by Christian Rivero, Kyle Turner and Jesse Fonteboa.
Basic added three security runs in the fifth, which proved significant when the Rams (29-8) scored three in the sixth with the help of a run-scoring wild pitch and a two-run double by Layton Walls to cut the deficit to 12-8. Thompson was pulled with one out in the inning, and reliever Garrett Giles squelched the rally.
But Rancho wasn’t done, making the most of a walk and error to cut the deficit to 12-10 on a two-run single by Chayse Baker with two outs in the top of the seventh. Wolves reliever C.J. Dornak struck out Joey Walls to end the game.
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Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.
