WNCC baseball beats Salt Lake

This message just in to the rest of the Scenic West Conference - the Western Nevada Community College baseball team is for real.

After having no players named to the all-conference first team - despite winning the league title - the Wildcats went out and played as if they wanted to send a message to the rest of the conference by beating Salt Lake 9-1 on Thursday in the postseason tournament at John L. Harvey Field.

In other games, Eastern Utah eliminated Community College of Southern Nevada by beating the Coyotes in 12 innings, Dixie State beat Southern Idaho 11-1 and then Southern Idaho eliminated Eastern Utah with a 9-5 win. In today's games, Southern Idaho will play Salt Lake in an elimination game at 10 a.m. and WNCC and Dixie State will play at 1 p.m. for a berth in the finals.

Actually, it's still up in the air if WNCC will not be represented on the all-league first team. Third baseman Tyson Jaquez was 12th in the voting and it was expected that 12 players would be named to the first team.

But only 11 players have been listed on the first team and Jaquez was listed as the leading vote getter on the second team. Only three infielders are listed on the first team.

"It's debateable," WNCC coach D.J. Whittemore said. "We're trying to remedy the situation. This year they set out to pick 12 players. For some reason they only picked 11."

It still seems to be somewhat a slap in the face that if the conference champion does end up with a player on the first team, he will be the 12th out of 12 players.

It would also figure that the ace of the staff of the conference champion would at least receive some recognition when it comes to all-league selections. But Justin Garcia wasn't honored at all, not even making the second team.

"There's great pitching in this conference," Whittemore said. "If you make first team all-conference you've got a chance to make first-team All-American."

Garcia pitched a complete game against Salt Lake, allowing only an unearned run in the final inning in the game that was called after seven innings due to the eight-run rule.

"I just had the same mentality I've had the whole year," Garcia said. "I didn't let it affect me."

WNCC has had outstanding pitching all year in large part due to how catcher Taylor Meiras has handled the staff. Meiras also hit two doubles, including a three-run double that broke the game open.

"He called a great game," Garcia said. "He's real intelligent back there. He knows what he's doing."

"He's a great pitcher," Meiras said. "We've got a great staff. It was a typical start for him.

"We had great defense behind him, too. I'm real confident in all of his pitches.I feel he can throw anything at anytime."

WNCC took a 1-0 lead when Meiras doubled to the right centerfield fence, moved to third on Kyle Bondurant's single and scored on a single by Jaquez.

In the fourth, Brad Carlsen hit a shot to the right centerfield fence with one out and tried to stretch it into a triple, but was ruled out on a questionable call. At the time the call appeared to be huge as Douglas High's Chad Walling then sent a flyball that was caught at the right field fence.

But the Wildcats made what happened academic when they exploded for eight runs in the fifth, taking advantage of five walks and an error. "We've been disciplined at the plate all year and it paid off," Whittemore said.

Meiras, Jerahmie Libke and and Bondurant all walked to load the bases and Brett Mosher, who had two hits, followed with a two-run double. Jaquez was intentionally walked to reload the bases and Thomas Miller was walked to force in a run.

After a run scored on an error, Meiras broke it open with his three-run double. "The whole team had great at bats," Meiras said. "Anyone on our team could have done the same thing."

Libke finished the rally with an RBI double that made it 9-0. In the seventh, Salt Lake scored its only run on the strength of a Jaquez error.

But Jaquez redeemed himself by making a diving stop of a shot in the whole and throwing out the runner at first. Otherwise it would have been a two-run hit and would have kept Salt Lake alive, but instead Garcia was able to finish it off. Jaquez also made another outstanding defensive play in the sixth when he went sprawling over the fence in foul territory to catch a pop fly.

It's expected that WNCC will face Dixie State's Colt Adams today, a pitcher who has already beaten the Wildcats twice. "It's going to take a heroic effort to beat those guys," Whittemore said.

It would also figure that the coach who led a first-year program to the league title would be the choice for Coach of the Year. But Dixie State's Mike Littlewood - not Whittemore - was honored as Coach of the Year. Dixie State also had four players on the first team.

Whittemore said it was based on the Rebels playing a tougher schedule. "He deserves everything he gets," Whittemore said.

"It doesn't bother me," Whittemore also said about his team's lack of representation of the first team. "We're just going to keep going about our business the same way we do all year."

"I think it says we have a very good team and don't have an outstanding individual," said Whittemore, stressing team, when commenting on the lack of representation on the first team. "

But Whittemore still couldn't resist saying that on Thursday his team "clearly" showed it could "play a little baseball."

Tournament notes: Bondurant, Miller and relief pitcher Dan Grubbs were named to the second team for WNCC. Others who could have possibly been recognized, but received no honors were Grennan, Carson High's Aaron Henry and pitcher Cole Rohrbough... The scoreboard in right center field has been in place since the tournament began on Wednesday. The scoreboard was provided by Capital Ford, Carson City Toyota, Carson-Tahoe Regional Health Care and Model Dairy.