Sports
Aztecs Win 6-4 in Wild Extra Inning Finish
Palm Desert defeats Sonora in 10 innings to advance to CIF semifinals; Kriske walk-off homer ends long battle.
Palm Desert scored three times in a wild 10th inning to come back and beat Sonora, 6-4, in a CIF Division 4 quarterfinal game Friday at Shadow Hills in Indio.
With the winning run on second and two outs, junior Brooks Kriske hit a fly ball to right field that got caught up in the wind and sailed over the fence for a game winning two-run homer.
Kriske knew he had hit it well, but not that well.
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“I got it inside on the hands, and I just wanted to drill it,” Kriske said. “I couldn’t even believe it.”
Aztec head coach Darol Salazar also thought the fly ball would be the final out of the inning.
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“No. No I didn’t.” Salazar said when asked if he though Kriske’s ball was going over the wall. “ It got up in the jetstream and took off. I thought he (Sonora centerfielder Brandon Munoz) was going to circle under it, but then it took off.”
Sonora trailed the entire game until manufacturing a run off Kriske in the top of the seventh inning. The Raiders used a leadoff double, a non-play by Aztec catcher Dave Schuknecht, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to scratch out the tying run.
The Raiders would put together the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th off reliever Jono Tellier when Eric Park hit a bases loaded single to go up 4-3. The Aztecs then turned a double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Senior Ryan Garvey ledoff the Aztec 10th with a single, then advanced to third on a wild pickoff throw by Sonora reliever Brandon Quintero.
After two routine outs failed to advance Garvey, catcher Dave Schuknecht hit a pop fly down the left field line that fell for a double, scoring Garvey to tie the game at 4-4; Kriske then ended the game.
The junior also had a good outing on the mound for Palm Desert. Kriske went 8 innings, allowing just four hits and two walks, while striking out two Raiders.
Palm Desert now advances to Tuesday's CIF Division 4 semifinals. Righthander Kaz Halcovich will be the starter for the Aztecs, who face either Laguna Beach or Westlake Village/Oaks Christian.
