Eagles’ Plans Altherred: Warriors Won’t be Denied

By Brandon Petersen

They're not leaving. 

It's been an wildly unpredictable California Pacific Conference championship baseball tournament this week in Mesa, Arizona, where NAIA No. 15, Benedictine Mesa, is playing host at the Oakland A's spring training facility, Hohokam Stadium. 

The craziness started in the Game 1 when fifth-seeded Simpson upset No. 4 Embry-Riddle on the strength of an eight-run frame. 

Simpson then followed that doozy up by shocking No. 1 Ben U with a five-run frame in the top of the ninth to waltz into tomorrow's winner's matchup with No. 3 Antelope Valley, who took out No. 2 Westcliff in Game 2, 7-4. 

In Wednesday's nightcap, the Warriors met ERAU in the loser's bracket elimination contest, and the game lived up to its billing, with both sides pitching well in a thrilling 6-5 Westcliff win. 

The Warriors countered Cal Pac ERA champion, Cole Altherr, on the bump with senior Desi Garcia, who the Warriors felt was snubbed by the conference for postseason recognition after a pristine season in which the southpaw lost just one contest. 

On Wednesday, while Altherr struck out nine through seven full, allowing three earned and six runs total on seven hits, Garcia scattered 10 hits in sixth and a third, allowing four earned while striking out six. 

In what could have been his last start of the season, Garcia threw 105 pitches to battery-mate Robby Wheeler — 70 for strikes. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Keith Hale sparked the Warriors' final rally with a triple to the corner in right. 

A batter later, Zane Parmenter sacrificed Hale home on a fly to center, giving Westcliff a 6-5 lead reliever Julian Tristan would be tasked to preserve for nearly three innings. 

"In a situation like that, it's very easy to let the situation get the best of you," Tristan said. "But, I had one job to do. That's hit my spot, and attack the glove. So, that's all I was thinking. One pitch at a time. That's it.

"It was like that the whole way through. I was concentrating on my breathing. Being calm. Slowing my heart rate. And just doing my job."

Tristan was untouchable. 

Allowing just one knock through two and two-thirds, Tristan struck out the side in the ninth, and mowed down the third out in the eighth with the game-typing run 90-feet away. 

After each emotional moment, Tristan and his teammates celebrated manically, a family forged over the course of the season — one that had suffered in-house family drama in the first contest, only to overcome it together in the end. 

"No one I'd rather compete with," Tristan said. "This is a band of brothers."

Eddie Rivero (2-for-4, 2 R) was a man Wednesday. 

Rivero has played with an injured shoulder all season, and besides a two-thirds delivery on his throws to first, you'd never be able to tell. 

Rivero dove safely over a tag at home in a crucial, game-tying moment in the fifth, landing hard on his shoulder.

He hopped his way to the dugout quickly and disappeared in the tunnel for a moment, only to pop right back out and give the thumbs up to head coach Dave Shermet. 

Uly Duran singled to right in the third scoring Rivero to tie the game at one. 

Nolan Wasson then followed up with a rocket to left-center for a triple that plated the newly-minted Cal Pac MVP. 

Hale finished 2-for-3 in playoff primetime, and Wheeler picked up a knock and run scored in a three-run fifth aided by a couple of Embry-Riddle errors. 

Speaking of errors, the Warriors beat themselves in Game 1, and were far from clean in Game 2.

They will have to field with confidence against Ben U.

The No. 1 Redhawks and No. 2 Warriors meet in an elimination contest, Thursday at 2:30.