Boulder Creek opens state with extra-inning thriller
MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR ~ 5/5/2010

The Boulder Creek Jaguars used a masterful pitching performance, a clean game defensively and finally a head-first dive to earn a 3-2 extra innings win in Saturday’s opening round of the 5A Div-II state tournament.
In a pitching duel between Boulder Creek senior Bryce Eisenbart and Lake Havasu’s Max Dreager both hurlers went the distance in a game that wasn’t decided until the eighth inning.
“The emotions of the playoffs are definitely different,” Eisenbart said. “We were a little antsy and he did a good job keeping us off balance with a big loopy curveball. I felt good though and I had the mindset that there was no way I was going to let us lose.”
A Boulder Creek offense that pounded the baseball throughout the regular season, and particularly in Northwest Region play found itself in for a real battle against Dreager as the Knights’ pitcher faced the minimum through three innings.
Eisenbart was nearly as good, facing one more than the minimum as he only allowed one hit through the front three frames.
“Sometimes you’re not going to have a big game offensively,” Boulder Creek coach Joe McDonald said. “It was good for us to get it done with our defense and our pitching. This group showed up focused today. You could tell they were amped up and ready to go.”
Along with pitching a gem Eisenbart would open the game’s scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth, which scored lead-off man Jonny Pawling. Eisenbart’s backstop opened the inning with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch.
The second double of the inning came from Austin Trujillo, who rocketed a shot down the left-field line and narrowly beat a strong throw to second. He scored three batters later when senior Andy Felton hit a perfectly-placed bloop to the Bermuda Triangle in right field, a two-out RBI, which gave the Jaguars a 2-0 advantage.
The lead would be short lived as the visiting Knights responded immediately when Dreager launched a game-tying two-run home over the 360 foot sign in left-center.
While the Jaguars offense was scuffling, managing just one hit from the fourth through the seventh, the defense stood tall behind Eisenbart to give the Jaguars a chance to win
the game.
In the sixth Lake Havasu, the No. 10 seed, put runners on first and second with only one out, but couldn’t take the lead as Eisenbart induced a pop up on the infield for the second out. Pawling then helped out his pitcher by throwing out a Havasu base runner attempting to steal third to end the inning.
In the seventh junior third baseman Cody Jones turned in a double play to turn away Lake Havasu empty-handed once again as he snared a line drive and threw on to first ahead of the Knights runner scrambling to get back to first.
The winning rally would get under way with Eisenbart starting things off in the bottom of the eighth. The senior got his first hit of the game, with a liner to center field.
Trujillo would follow with a single, putting runners on first and second with nobody out.
Lake Havasu kept their hopes alive when Jones’ attempt at a sacrifice bunt was hit too hard and right back toward the mound, giving Dreager the chance to get the lead runner, with a force at third.
But when senior Braylon Cox drew a one-out walk the bases were loaded bringing Felton to the plate with a chance to win the game. After a meeting on the mound Dreager’s first pitch short-hopped his catcher.
While the ball didn’t go to the backstop it bounded off the catcher to the left of
home plate.
Junior Anthony Bedatsky, who had been called into the game to pinch run for Trujillo, came halfway down the line from third, briefly hesitated before deciding to make a break for the plate.
“When the ball is in the dirt your first job is to find the ball,” Bedatsky said. “It didn’t get real far away, but the catcher didn’t see it right way so that’s why I decided to go. I don’t know how I ended up jumping so high when I dove, but I wanted to get to that far corner of the plate.”
Bedatsky’s dive beat a lunging Dreager attempting to cover home after taking in a flip by his catcher following the errant pitch. When the umpire made the safe call the Jaguars spilled out of the dugout to celebrate the victory.
“It’s exhilarating,” Bedatsky said. “I’m a bench player so I don’t get to play all that much, but when you do get that chance you just want to show them that you can contribute and help
the team.”
With the win the Jaguars, the No. 7 seed, advanced to Tuesday’s second round where Jones was set to take the mound against a surprise opponent, the No. 15 Millennium Tigers, who knocked off No. 2 Chaparral 7-5 on Saturday.
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup (results unavailable at press time) advanced to play a 4 p.m. Saturday game at Surprise Stadium to play the winner of No. 6 Deer Valley and No. 3 Desert Mountain.
If the Jaguars won on Tuesday and win Saturday they would advance to the state semifinals on May 13. A win on Tuesday, but a loss on Saturday would have them playing again at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
If Boulder Creek lost on Tuesday they would fall into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination state tournament. Under that scenario they would play at 7 p.m. on Thursday against the winner of No. 11 Centennial and No. 14 Sandra Day O’Connor, both first round losers on Saturday. For up-to-date coverage of the 5A Div-II state tournament go to www.aia.online.org.
“This was a complete team victory,” McDonald said. “This will give us some momentum as we move forward.”