Sunnyside’s Joseph Molina is used to playing the role of hero, having already tallied about three or four walk-off hits this season. 

The sophomore was at it again Monday. But this time Molina came through in the playoffs to keep his team alive in the Division II baseball Tucson title race.

The four remaining teams in the D-II bracket call Tucson home. Sunnyside joined Salpointe, Canyon del Oro and Tucson in the final stages of the playoffs after Molina bounced a grounder off an infielder’s glove in the bottom of the seventh at Maryvale Baseball Park.

That allowed the game-winning run to cross the plate with the bases loaded and with Greenway playing with five infielders. Sunnyside started to celebrate as soon as Sunnyside clinched the 4-3 victory.

“I knew they (Greenway) were playing solid defense, but I knew if I put something on the ground hard enough it would get through,” Molina said.

Sunnyside trailed 3-0 but scored a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to tie the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Sunnyside loaded the bases after its No. 2, 4 and 5 hitters each hit singles before Molina’s at bat.

All of Sunnyside’s 11 hits in the game were singles. Greenway’s Justin Freeman gave up only one hit through the first four innings before Sunnyside started to chip away.

Sunnyside’s Angel Castillo pitched a complete game and was backed up by a defense that didn’t commit an error and converted an outstanding sliding catch by center fielder Marcos Larranaga in the top of the seventh. Greenway stranded nine batters and had the leadoff man on base five times.

Alejo Lopez finished with three hits for Greenway and so did Carlos Moreno for Sunnyside. Up next for Sunnyside is rival Salpointe in Thursday’s 4 p.m. elimination game at Hi Corbett Field.

Orozco shines

Jio Orozco threw a two-hitter in front of a handful of scouts, and his Salpointe lineup did just enough to help knock off Sunrise Mountain 2-0 at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Sunrise Mountain’s Austin Thomason had a no-hitter through four innings, but gave up five hits and two runs in the fifth inning. A ground rule RBI double by Brandon Alev and RBI single by Alex Diaz scored the only runs of the game.