Cardinal Newman scored a late run on a Ukiah error to notch a 3-2 victory in the NBL Playoff First Round. The win combined with a Windsor loss finds the Cardinals hosting Friday's NBL Title game.  Carrillo upset the #1 seeded Jaguars 11-0 in Wednesday's other first round game.

Newman scored first with a 2 run 2nd inning. Gavin Rognlen tripled, Landon Rota was hit by pitch and stole second.  Rognlien would then score on a wild pitch and Blake Bryson  would drive in Rota with a single. 

Newman starter Mason Lerma pitched 3 scoreless innings before the wildcats got to him in the 4th. 2 singles, a sac bunt and a fielders choice made it 2-1 with 2 away. It looked like Lerma would escape further damage as he induced a ground ball but a throwing error made it 2-2 and led to the late inning dramatics.

Lerma pitched well into the 6th but Ukiah lined a leadoff single to left.  A wild pitch moved the runner up but Lerma struck out the next two Wildcats.  Pitching carefully to clean up hitter Aaron Ford the count ran to 3-1.  Lerma hung a curve that Ford launched deep up into left center field.  It looked like the ball might catch the wind and carry over the fence. Center fielder Anane Wilson got a good jump and ran it down in the deepest part of the park. Wilson reached up and snagged it as the Newman crowd breathed  a sigh of relief.

Newman would take the lead in the bottom half as Brady Boyd would find that same left center field gap with a liner for a stand up double. Then with Boyd at third and two outs Landon Rota would hit a hard ground ball to third that missed the glove of Ford for an error and the cards took the lead.

Jack Lazark would come in to pitch and and he would strikeout two, retiring the side in order to nail down the win. 

Newman will now host Maria Carrillo on Friday for the NBL Playoff Championship.  The NCS D3 bracket will be seeded on Sunday and currently Newman has the #1  power ranking in the Division.


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