It’s more than a game.
Nogales High School’s baseball team was able to stay alive in the Class 4A state tournament Wednesday with a 9-2 win over Canyon del Oro.
Nogales lost to Salpointe Catholic on Monday, which bumped the Apaches into the loser’s bracket.
“This win, bouncing back is going to bring a smile back to our community,” senior Kevin Jimenez said.
There have been too many tears lately.
The day before No. 1 Nogales was set to host Greenway in the first round of the 4A state tournament, Nogales police officer Jesus Cordova was shot by a carjacker outside of Villa’s Market. Cordova died from his injuries. He left behind three children and his wife, Alyssa, who is five months pregnant.
The Apaches dedicated their playoff run to Cordova, a longtime fan. He was proud of the local baseball team and kept up with stats and even stopped by games while on duty, Alyssa Cordova said. The Apaches have provided something for the Nogales community to rally around since the officer’s death.
“It gives the people of Nogales something to do in the midst of tragedy and sadness and being upset,” coach OJ Favela said. “They say, ‘that stuff doesn’t happen in Nogales.’ It hit home.”
Cordova’s family, friends and coworkers attended Monday’s playoff game; they took to the field beforehand to express their thanks.
The Lancers pulled an upset over top-seeded Nogales that day, however. The teams will play again Saturday night at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Senior Marcel Bachelier said fans can expect the Apaches to play with a chip on their shoulder.
“We’re going to be fired up. We want them,” Bachelier said. “After the game ended the other night, a few things were said, and we’re not going to take it lightly.”
Favela said Monday’s upset felt like a punch to the gut, especially since his team is accustomed to winning.
“Double elimination gives you life,” Favela said. “These kids with their backs to the wall will come out punching.”
They’ll likely be fan-favorites again. Nogales out-drew CDO in Wednesday’s game, even though it was played at Amphitheater High School, a short drive from the Dorados’ campus. Nogales catcher Mario Duarte said it meant a lot to see the support from fans and family who made the hour-long drive.
“All we want to do is make them proud,” Duarte said. “We want to let them know that what they did, all the time they put in with us, in our lives and the baseball field, that it mattered. It means something.”
For starting pitcher Alec Acevedo, the game had added meaning. He was playing for his grandfather, who is fighting skin cancer. Acevedo pitched a complete game, striking out seven batters.
Entering the bottom of the sixth and already up 3-2, the Apaches took advantage of a shaky CDO defense.
CDO walked two batters, allowed another to reach base on a strikeout wild pitch, balked and hit two batters. The Apaches took a 6-2 lead.
Bachelier then hit a ball over the center fielder’s head and came within an inch of scoring an inside-the-park home run before getting tagged out at home.
“The previous two games, our bats have been kind of quiet,” Bachelier said. “Finally, seeing our bats explode was like, ‘oh, we’re back.’”
The bats will have to stay alive Saturday in what will be Nogales’ fourth matchup with Salpointe Catholic this season. The Apaches won the two regular-season games.
“For us, the past doesn’t really mean anything,” Favela said. “We’ll just have to take care of business.”
