Blazers Rally for First Postseason Win in Four Years

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – Dallas College North Lake baseball won its first postseason game in four years after rallying to beat Dallas College Cedar Valley 10-8 Wednesday in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament.

The Blazers overcame a 6-1 deficit, scoring nine runs in their final two at-bats to advance to the double-elimination round of the tournament. North Lake (23-34) will play at No. 4-ranked Dallas College Eastfield (43-12) at 10 a.m. Thursday.

North Lake's Leo Salas and Harrison Golden both drove in three runs over the seventh and eighth innings. Golden tripled in a run in the seventh and doubled home a pair in the eighth, and Salas laced a two-run hit to left in the seventh, while driving in another run through the left side in the eighth as the offensive fireworks lit up in the Blazers' comeback.

Salas went 2 for 5 with three RBI, and Golden was 3 for 5 with three RBI. Michael Holden belted a two-run homer to right-center in the six-run eighth. He went 2 for 5 with three RBI.

Cedar Valley (25-30) scored four runs in the first on an RBI single by Julio Cuotto, a sacrifice fly by David Chandler, an RBI groundout by Nathan Tucker and run-scoring single by Elyjah Anderson. The Suns extended their lead to 6-1 in the fifth on Lane Atherton's fielder's choice RBI and Anderson's RBI single up the middle.

Atherton belted a two-run homer to right in the ninth as the Suns made a bid to reclaim the lead, but Blazers reliever Manning Whitehead retired the next two batters to preserve the victory.

Whitehead (2-3) worked the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks, and struck out four in the win. North Lake middle reliever Isaac Lopez pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, five hits and three walks, and struck out a season-high six.

Cedar Valley's Ryan Hernandez was 3 for 4 with a double. Chandler went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Anderson was 2 for 4 with two RBI. Cuotto went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Tucker was 1 for 4 with an RBI. Addison Brown went 1 for 3 with a double.

North Lake's Issac Garcia was 2 for 4. Shaun Williams doubled and walked twice. Cole Chapman doubled and drew three free passes. Ayden Franco had a pinch-hit single to right in the eighth.

The victory is second-year Blazers head coach Lance Fairchild's first postseason win.