Sidewinders increase playoff chances

 SAN LUIS, Ariz. - If San Luis only managed to take one of two games from Yuma High on Wednesday it might have still gotten in the 5A Division II playoffs.

 Win them both, and the Sidwinders could almost start preparing for a postseason appearance Saturday.

 San Luis did everything it possibly could to lock in a seed at state, coming from behind in its last at-bat to beat the Criminals 8-7 in 13 innings, and then carrying that momentum to a 9-1 victory in San Luis immediately afterward in the regular-season finale.

 The first game was the completion of an Apr. 18 contest that was suspended a 5-5 tie after 11 innings because of darkness.

 The Sidewinders moved up to No. 11 in the AIA power points as of Wednesday night. The six region winners get an automatic bid to state, with the remaining 10 places coming from power-point standings.

 "Hopefully it gives us an opportunity to stay in (the playoffs)," San Luis coach Cesar Castillo said. "Either way, we did the right thing by winning the series...We stayed relentless and that's what we needed to do. The first game was back and forth, but my boys stayed with it. They knew what was at stake."

 In the conclusion of the suspended game, San Luis snatched victory away from Yuma twice.

 Trailing 6-5 and down to their last out in the 12th, the Sidewinders brought the tying run across when Edgar Juarez hit a grounder in the hole on the left side that was bobbled, bringing home Ruben Gonzalez from third.

 The Crims came back to take the lead in the 13th after Jack Walters led off with a triple and came into score on a double-play ball off the bat of Poncho Gomez.

 But San Luis tied it in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by Gonzalez, and then loaded the bases with one out for Raul Vasquez, who lined the game-winning RBI single to center.

 "It's a game of momentum and they definitely stole that momentum the first game," Yuma coach Judd Thrower said of San Luis. "They kept on coming back. The couple clutch hits that they got really kinda takes the wind out of your sails a little bit."

 San Luis broke open the second game with a five-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the second. The Sidewinders strung together five consecutive two-out RBI singles, capped off by Benito Garcia's liner to right.

 Vasquez, who started on the mound in both games for San Luis, only allowed three hits - all in the second inning - after a shaky start in the first game. He pitched seven total innings Wednesday - five in the second game - and was the winning pitcher in both games.

 "Vasquez did an amazing job. We never gave up on him," Castillo said. "In the first game it was a tough one because they hit him around and he walked a couple, but then he was lights out. He gave us and himself an opportunity to hopefully stay in the playoffs."

 Alex Stratton drove in Yuma's only run in Game 2 with an infield single. Vasquez went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple in Game 2, while Gonzalez, Joe Andrade and Alvaro Palomares also had a pair of hits apiece.

 Despite what Thrower called a "building season," his Criminals still had an outside shot at the playoffs right down to the last day. They needed to win both games to have a chance.

 "We played good ball at times this year. We just couldn't keep it as consistent as we hoped for," Thrower said. "I'm very proud of my guys. I'm going to miss my seniors a lot and I wish them the best. But hopefully this is something we can build on for next year."