Wednesday, May 4, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.
Bonanza tried to play tag with Bishop Gorman on Tuesday at Hadland Park.
The Bengals came up one breath short.
After Gorman scored two runs in the first inning, Bonanza scored three in the second. The Gaels tied the game in the second and took a 6-3 lead in the fifth.
In the seventh, Bonanza cut the Gaels lead to 6-5 with the tying run on third, but the strong pitching of increasingly hot pitcher Jon Berger shut down the Bengals for good.
Bishop Gorman didn't necessarily need to win Tuesday's game to stay alive in the Southwest playoff hunt, but it sure helped.
"It's as close to a must-win ... if you've got an out, we don't want to call it a must win," Gaels coach Chris Sheff said. "We put a senior on the hill, he stepped up and threw a great effort today."
Berger finished with nine strikeouts and nine hits in seven innings. Four of Bonanza's hits came in the second inning, and six Bengals hits were doubles.
He said that getting through the Bengals' seventh-inning rally was tougher than overcoming their second-inning run.
"They got a couple of bloop hits," he said. "We had to regain our composure to get the last out."
Bonanza coach Derek Stafford was complimentary of Bishop Gorman.
"It was a good high school baseball game. I know their backs were to the wall a bit there. They battled and we battled too," he said. "Our goal is just to make regionals, and luckily for us we don't need help. If we win Thursday, win Friday and we're in."
Bonanza had only been in such a high scoring game once before during league play, when the Bengals beat Western 22-6.
"We don't usually give up that many runs," Stafford said. "We also don't normally get that many hits and runs. I thought it was a good game."
Bonanza hosts Durango on Thursday afternoon, while Bishop Gorman closes out its season against the Trailblazers on Friday at Hadland Park.
Once Around Town
The Wildcats, 16-13 overall this year, have come alive after struggling in league play. They've won 10 of their past 11, and coach Sam Thomas said there's still some improvement left in his team.
"They're still learning," he said. "Our youth has definitely shown this year. Every game, we're just trying to get better. Hopefully we can rise up to the competition the Southeast is going to provide."
Thomas' starting pitchers -- Eric Simpson, Andrew Pluta, Brian Harper and John Stack have combined for six shutouts against Northeast Division teams.
"Our whole pitching staff is doing a good job," Thomas said.
"We're not in it yet," Wolves coach Mike Kazek said. "We have to win one of our next two to be assured a playoff spot. Coronado still has a shot. It's remote now but they still have a shot."
To get in, the Cougars would need Basic to lose to Green Valley and Del Sol, or Foothill to lose to Silverado and Liberty. The Dragons and Patriots are a combined 2-18 in league play.
As for Basic's chance at a third or fourth seed, Kazek said he's disappointed with his team's regular season showing.
"I really thought we were going to contend for the division title," he said. "We lost one of our pitchers (Gary Bagwell), and that was a big blow to us. He was probably our ace pitcher going into league. He hurt his arm, so we're kind of short on pitching."
Basic hosts Green Valley this afternoon and plays at Del Sol Thursday.
The Grizzlies are 5-5 in Southwest Division play, a half-game behind the Gaels with contests against Clark (1-9) and Bonanza (7-3) remaining.
"Right now at 18 wins, if we can find a way to get to 19 or even 20, that's a great season for us," Spring Valley coach Mike Gomez said. "We know it was going to be tough. We didn't think five could get you in, maybe even six could get you in."
The Grizzlies were led in Tuesday's 12-0, five-inning win against Western by freshman pitcher Kyle Wolak, who had a no hitter while giving up one walk and hitting a batsman.
"He's been in a funk," Gomez said. "He really just sat down with our pitching coach, they broke it down yesterday. Obviously Western's not the strongest hitting club, but this is the best stuff he's had all year."
Gomez said his entire pitching staff has been strong.
"Devin Alleman is 6-2, his ERA is right around 2.48, we have a freshman, Tyler Anderson that's 5-1," he said. "We've had some decent outings. Some of the unearned runs are a little too high. It's not bad for a first-year school."
Spring Valley faces Clark on Thursday and closes the season Friday at Bonanza.
Still, the Panthers did improve their 7-3 overall record to 16-6 with a strong run through league play, something coach Mike Besser attributes to better hitting. He also credited infielder Justin Loya for providing a strong defensive presence.
"He's worked his tail off, he's been coachable, he's done a great job," Besser said. "He's been a big difference maker defensively. It's all to his credit because he kept working at it. He's done a hell of a job."
Palo Verde's finale is Friday, when the Panthers host Mojave.
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