Sanchez leads Kings past Shamrocks in teams' first meeting

Even in a game with four outstanding pitching performances, Sergio Sanchez stood out on top.

The Kofa starter struck out 11 in six innings as the Kings topped Yuma Catholic 2-1 in the first meeting between the two schools' baseball teams Monday.

The Shamrocks were playing in their first game of the year, but the visiting Kings (2-4 overall, 1-0 AIA) had already played at the Adam Donnenfield Memorial Tournament at Phoenix-Brophy. Sanchez started one of those games and gave up one run in a no decision to defending 5A Division I state champion Tempe-Corona del Sol.

"Sergio pitched really well, he had to," Kofa coach Richy Leon said. "He's come out strong out of the gate."

The Shamrocks struck first when Eric Garcia singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a single by Josh Evans - who started for YC.

Despite allowing runners to reach in every inning, Evans kept the Kings scoreless until the third, when Hector Valenzuela - the only player for either team with a multihit effort - led off with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Kane.

Evans started the fourth, but was lifted after his sixth walk of the game to pinch hitter Simon Corea, who had just returned to the Kings' roster Monday after basketball season ended last week. YC coach Curt Foppe brought Matt Koppinger on to pitch. Koppinger allowed back-to-back infield singles, then Sanchez flew out to center field to bring home Corea.

Koppinger only allowed three hits the rest of the game, but Sanchez and closer Mario Rivera combined to keep the Shamrocks off the scoreboard.

"Josh and Matt, I'm relying on them to be our two best this year," Foppe said. "(Koppinger) came in and did his best. He showed us what he can do for us this year. That's a very good ballclub over there, and I'm proud of my guys because we stayed with them.

"Sergio is a great pitcher. He's going to be one of the best pitchers we see all year," he said. "He did a great job throwing strikes. He did a great job going after us. He's a great strikeout pitcher, but I felt our guys didn't have a great approach. Maybe that has to do with it being the first game."

Sanchez threw 116 pitches in six innings. He walked five and allowed three hits. Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season.

"(Rivera has) been our go-to guy, and we saw that early that he could be our go-to guy late in the ballgame," Leon said. "He throws a lot of strikes and is funky enough, throws a slider for strikes. So far so good with Mario."

Even though the season isn't a week old, Leon said there was a lot riding on the game. YC and Kofa have a strong football rivalry, having played three times.

"It's the first time we've ever played them," Leon said. "And you have the whole 2A-5A kind of thing. But a win's a win. They're a good ballclub and they're going to beat a lot of people."

That may have led to a little big of pressing on the part of the Kings, Leon said. Kofa stranded 11 runners, eight in scoring position.

"We stress every day we compete against the baseball and we don't worry about who we're playing against," Leon said. "But it was very hard to ignore. I'll be honest. You've got a little rivalry going and it's going to brew and it's a good thing for our programs. It was hard to ignore and I think our guys were trying to do a little too much."

Evans lasted 3 1/3, allowed two earned runs, two hits and struck out two. Foppe said it was a hard choice to take him out of the game.

"He's my senior leader, and I knew he was struggling, but I was looking at the scoreboard and it was 1-1," Foppe said. "He was finding his way out of innings ... but I felt we were to a point I think they were ready to possibly knock it around a little bit."

But Koppinger came on and pitched well, despite the two quick hits. He surrendered five hits in the game, managed a strike out and walked none. All 10 hits in the game were singles.