BUCKEYE - As the Verrado Vipers sat near their dugout following their 3-1 victory over #9 Sunrise Mountain on Saturday, it was clear that there was extra motivation pushing the team through the elimination game.

The Vipers finished their postgame huddle with a simple chant of “Beat CV.”

Verrado advances to face #1 Canyon View (27-4) in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. at Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda Drive.

“We’re looking forward to it, obviously it's a rivalry game, but they're very good, we totally respect them and we know we're gonna have to play a really good game to pull it out,” said Vipers coach Rick Skinner. 

To earn their way to a third chance at knocking off their vaunted rivals two miles north, #8 Verrado (19-7-1) had to rely upon a duo of brothers to lead the team to victory, one of whom that had a history against the Mustangs.

Phoenix College-bound senior Colton Zacher got the call to lead the way for the Vipers on the mound with an opportunity to improve upon his first outing against Sunrise Mountain (19-11).

On March 6, Zacher pitched 6.2 innings against the Mustangs giving up three runs and finishing with a no decision in a 4-3 extra inning Verrado victory.

Early on, it the Mustangs were finding success on Zacher again. Dominick Santalucia drove in a run on the third hit of the second inning to give Sunrise Mountain a 1-0 lead. 

That was all the success the Mustangs would have on the day.

“Colton was just lights out, right? I mean, he got ahead of hitters all day and he got out of every jam, that's the big, big thing. They had a couple times in the game where they were threatening and we were able to make a really good play because of him,” Skinner said.

Zacher finished with a complete game only allowing five hits, striking out four batters, all on an efficient 79 pitches.

“I know he didn’t strike out as many as he normally does, but that just shows he hit his spots and got outs today, and that's what you want from your pitcher, it doesn't matter if it's a strikeout or anything else, it's just about getting outs,” said Skinner. 

Needing to get a run back, Viper ace Braxton Bjur showcased his hitting ability as he reached base on a single to the right side of the infield.

With a runner on base, Colton’s younger brother Beau uncorked a towering swing to left field that landed in the road of the neighborhood directly behind the field to give the Vipers a 2-1 lead that Verrado wouldn’t concede.

From there, both sides would trade strikeouts inning by inning as Zacher and Mustang junior pitcher Ethan Dinnell painted corners of the strike zone. 

Between the third inning and the sixth inning, the pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts as neither side could get into a rhythm at the plate. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Ronal Urquiola would drive in an insurance run with a single to the opposite side of the field.

Past the first round, the 5A conference bracket becomes a double elimination tournament. That allows for flexibility but also creates a chess match for coaches throughout the bracket, in terms of pitching decisions and matchups.

“It's still one game at a time and we're gonna go into that one game and try to win it and do the best we can. Braxton Bjur will pitch for us on Monday. He's already seen them once and we didn't give him the support he needed, this time around it's gonna be a lot different,” said Skinner.

Monday night, the Vipers will be in search of their first victory over the Jaguars since March 2023.