Tyler Thomas picked up the win for Catalina Foothills (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

 

A tough region for baseball? Try the 4A Kino Region. It’s a region where a 6-1 region record gets you ranked at the top of the 4A Conference and an 0-7 region record still keeps you in the top 20 with a playoff spot still your future.

The 4A Conference adopted the Play-In Tournament format this year which means teams ranked from 9-24 will all play on Wednesday, April 25 in what is effectively the first round of the state playoffs but is technically called a “play-in” game to the 16-team state playoff bracket, set to start the following Saturday.

This means No. 1 Nogales (15-2 in power-ranking games, 6-1 in region), No.2 Catalina Foothills (15-1, 6-1), No. 4 Canyon del Oro (12-4, 3-4), No. 7 Salpointe (10-8, 3-6) and No. 19 Walden Grove (7-10, 0-7) are all set for postseason play. It is conceivable, however, that Walden Grove could fall out of the top 24 with a loss to Canyon del Oro on Thursday but that would be a drastic loss of power points. (All rankings as of Wednesday, April 18).

In addition, the winner of the Black Canyon Region might finish outside of the top 24 which means either No. 29 Washington (11-5, 8-1) or No. 31 Combs (7-9, 7-1) will bump a team out of the playoffs. That means teams need to finish in the top 23 to be safe.

 

REGION RACE

 

Catalina Foothills beat Nogales 15-12 on Tuesday night and Salpointe 12-3 on Wednesday night. The two victories are part of a seven-game win streak for the Falcons dating back to their last loss on March 27 to Salpointe. That 9-5 setback is the only region blemish on the Falcon’s record.

The Apaches were also on a seven-game win streak prior to their loss to Catalina Foothills. That loss, of course, is the only blemish on their region record.  The two teams are slated to play each other one more time to settle region championship this Friday night at 6 p.m.

“Our run has been due to our leadership,” said senior standout Dante DeNiro after the team beat Salpointe. “Our leadership in the dugout has also shown up on the playing field and we are playing a lot better.”

DeNiro, a Grand Canyon commit, hit a 3-run shot in the win over Salpointe and Matt Cullen went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. Chet Dwyer and Christian Rodriguez also had doubles for the Falcons. Tyler Thomas picked up the complete-game victory.

Daniel Durazo and Romeo Ballesteros collected doubles for the Lancers. Durazo finished with two RBI. Ian Ponce, Ryan Grabosch and Ricky Santiago saw pitching action for Salpointe.

The Dorados have won five of their last seven games including a 16-8 win at Salpointe on Tuesday. The Dorados need to beat Walden Grove on Thursday and Mountain View Marana on Monday, April 23 to stay in the top eight.

The Lancers ended their regular season with three straight losses. There will be movement in the power rankings, but the Lancers should host a play-in game if they fall outside the top eight. As mentioned before, Walden Grove will host Canyon del Oro to end regular season play.

 

4A BRACKET PLAY

 

Besides adopting a Play-In format, the 4A Conference will also be played under a double-elimination format after the second round. Tempe Diablo Stadium and Mesa Hohokam Stadium will be the neutral sites for the second and third rounds as well as the semifinal round. Hohokam Stadium will host the championship game, set for Monday, May 14 unless:

If two Southern Arizona teams are playing each other, then the neutral games will be played in the Tucson area. In addition, if a Southern Arizona team is undefeated, or if both teams in the final have a loss, then the championship game will be played in the Tucson area.