Richard Smith
West Valley Preps

A Kellis baseball program entering this postseason with one playoff win enters the 5A baseball title game Tuesday with a 5-0 record since it received its No. 13 seed.

The Cougars again rode a dominant performance from ace Adrian Salazar to upset and eliminate district rival Liberty. Kellis hung around, capitalized on the Lions only error in the fifth inning and held on for a 2-1 victory Thursday night at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Salazar allowed hits to the first two batters he faced, then scattered three more singles in his final 5 2/3 innings. He hit his pitch limit when Liberty senior Noah Tippery fouled off a pair of sure third strikes and drew a walk.

But junior Jonathan Ornelas entered in relief and got a strikeout for the final out. A delirious Cougar crowd rushed out to celebrate a playoff run few outside the Kellis dugout would have thought possible on April 25.

"In the back of my head I thought they could play this well. Our win-loss record is not as bad as it looks. Nine of 11 losses were by two run or less and in every game we had the tying run on base," Kellis Coach Michael Deardoff said. "They had to learn that it's the little mistakes that make the difference. We would see flashes of it throughout the year. We always play well with Adrian on the mound. There's something about his calming presence on th mound that has the kids comfortable behind him."

Kellis (21-11) waits for the results in the other half of the 5A bracket after No. 3 Phoenix Arcadia (22-10) knocked off No. 11 Gilbert Campo Verde (19-14) 5-2 to force a winner-take-all rematch Friday night at Maryvale Stadium.

The winner will face Kellis at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Diablo.

The Cougars came alive in the bottom of the fifth as senior Kody Rhoads walked and dashed to third on an errant pickoff throw. Salazar drove him in with a single to left.

Ornelas was up next and sprayed a single in the same direction. A wild pitch moved up both runners and thew Lions intentionally walked senior Nate Young to load the bases with one out.

Sophomore Justin Flebbe lifted a fly ball to right, deep enough for Kellis to score the go-ahead run.

"I was at 106 (pitches). I was just trying to throw strikes and not trying to do too much," Salazar said. "I think we know we're as good as any other team and we're confident."

Salazar nearly finished things himself, before allowing a two-out single to junior pinch hitter Isaiah Montoya and was a strike away from the complete game until Tippery battled back.

This game was one of the first crucial playoff situations altered by the state's new pitch count limits.  Coach Deardoff said this situation was not as nerve wracking as it could have been, since Ornelas is an experienced and trusted closer.

"I love watching (Liberty) play because they battle and play the game the right way. It's fun to compete against them. Everyone knows each other's tendencies," Coach Deardoff said. "Johnny has been our closer all year, and he's a kid that loves the spotlight. He's the perfect guy for that situation."

Liberty (25-8) burst out of the gate with seniors Tyler Hajjar and Grant Lung starting then game hitting singles to almost the exact same spot in shallow center. Lung's hit sent a sprinting Hajjar to third base and senior Sam Stewart's one-out sacrifice fly brought him home.

Salazar recovered to get out of the inning down one. He handled the Lions for the next five innings, allowing two hits.

"I tried to work low in the zone. Those first two ball they hit were up," Salazar said. "I know most of those players, so I know what to throw them."

Liberty sophomore Chandler Murphy motored through the early innings, scattering three hits and only allowing one runner in scoring position in the first four innings.

"Our season's over and it's shocking. It's never easy. Both guys threw a hell of a game and both sides competed. It was exactly like we knew it would be," Liberty coach Chris Raymond said. "They're tough but our guys fought all the way through. They were down to their last strike and they kept fighting. Tip your cap to them, they're a good team that's well coached and plays the game right."

Kellis won a 4A-II state girls basketball title in 2009 and had top teams in boys basketball and girls soccer in 2011 and 2012. But no team in the Glendale school's recent memory has captured the imagination of campus like this one.



Deardoff took over the program nine years ago and built it into a solid, regular playoff team. He said a 21-7 season in 2015 was a major building block, as was last year's first playoff win with Salazar pitching.

"Our pitching is probably the difference this year. We actually have the pitchers that can take us deep. Now the kids have that experience in playoff situations and the other kids fall in line," Coach Deardoff said. "Look around right now, this is a huge turnout. When we scored the tying run with Adrian's hit, I couldn't hear myself think because they were so loud behind me. Their support has been amazing."

The Cougars were the only team that could stop a senior dominated Liberty squad that had the catalyst of Raymond coming in to coach them this year.

Liberty players and coaches hugged and sobbed loudly in the dugout after the game. There was a sense that this wave of emotion was not borne out of simply losing a baseball game they expected to win, or not getting to play for a state title after a season where they earned to top seed.

Rather this team appeared to be coming to grips with the fact that they would not be this team anymore  — and that a bond that goes beyond baseball would no longer include baseball.

"They're special kids. I love them very much. We spent so much time together. My family is part of the program. Our players are like sons/brothers to me," Coach Raymond said. "It's a special deal because it's real. Not everything is real. There's a lot of fake stuff in this world. What we have is real because the season is over but the relationships aren't going away."