Baseball, softball tournaments begin Tuesday

Nick Christensen

Monday, May 9, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

Brackets were announced Saturday for this weekend's 4A regional baseball and softball tournaments, with a few matches highlighting early action when both sports begin play on Tuesday.

Baseball preseason favorite Cimarron-Memorial will take on Durango at Durango at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the winner likely advancing to face Sierra Vista on Wednesday, while the loser in the first round of the double-elimination tournament will probably face Cheyenne.

"It's a tough four-team bracket," Spartans coach Mike Hubel said. "I'm hoping we can put another strong run together. We've won the last four games in a row, and hopefully we can keep it going."

Other baseball games will take place at Centennial, Eldorado and Basic high schools.

Basic coach Mike Kazek said there's no comfort in a double-elimination format.

"Every game is a matter of elimination," he said. "You get into the losers bracket and it's virtually impossible to make it all the way through."

All 4A softball games will be played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park, a complex of fields located on Russell Road between Mountain Vista and U.S. 95 in Henderson.

Several great first-round matchups are scheduled, particularly in the Sunset Region. That's where preseason favorite Sierra Vista will take on a resurgent Shadow Ridge team that nearly upset the Mountain Lions earlier this year.

"I feel like we match up pretty well," Mustangs coach Cindy Winter said. "I feel very comfortable with our chances, starting with the first round. I have the girls just focusing on taking it one game at a time, believing in what we are capable of doing and focusing on that."

Sierra Vista coach Jerome Streets said that the Sunset is anybody's to take.

"The most important thing about this time of year is whatever happens happens," he said. "Palo (Verde) lost a couple of games, Clark lost two games... our side is wide open. Anybody on our side can win."

Games in the double-elimination softball tournaments are scheduled for 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Smaller-school regional tournaments take place this weekend. The 3A baseball and softball tournaments will be held at Mesquite, the 2A playoffs in Needles, Calif. and the 1A tournaments at Mountain View Christian School Bonanza Road at Sandhill in Las Vegas.

State tournaments are slated for next week in Southern Nevada, with the 4A baseball tournament at Morse Stadium at CCSN in Henderson and the 4A softball tournament slated for Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.