Goetz's homer, Walter's heat push Cactus into title game

This time it was different.

Cactus (26-5) and Scottsdale Chaparral (19-13) were locked in their typical tight duel in Friday's 4A-I baseball semifinal at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Leading their nemesis 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, it was the Cobras who broke open the tense game.

Senior Skylar Maestas walked and senior Mark Winiker attempted to bunt him over. Chaparral relief pitcher Will Abram fielded the bunt and threw high to second base, allowing both runners to reach safely. Then, junior Eric Goetz waited out the lefty's off speed stuff and blasted a curveball into the grass above the right field fence.

"I was sitting off speed. I trusted my hands enough that I could catch up to his fastball," Goetz said. "The one that I hit out was a curveball that hung over the plate and I was able to get the middle part of the bat on it. It's the best feeling ever."

The three-run homer was more than enough for senior pitcher Andrew Walter. In 6 1/3 innings, the power pitcher struck out seven and allowed only one run. Senior James Fajardo recorded the final two outs in Cactus' 5-1 win.

"They've always been tough, so I had to be on my game to the fullest," Walter said. "This is the best way to go out of high school baseball."

While Walter is tapped out and will not factor in Saturday's 3:07 p.m. title game against Tucson Canyon del Oro (24-7), Fajardo will start. Though he threw a complete game in Wednesday's win against Tucson Catalina Foothills, Fajardo looked fresh Friday night and should have something left for Saturday.

"(Fajardo) said he's pretty fresh and he threw well tonight," Cactus coach Mike Tirella said. "He's an off speed pitcher so it isn't too taxing."

Though the Cobras celebrated two milestones Friday — beating the team that knocked them out in the state semifinals last year and reaching the first state title game in the baseball program's history — Tirella and his players are not worried about a letdown.

"Our confidence is sky high," Goetz said. "No one even talked about today (after the game). It's all about tomorrow."

Reaching the final was more difficult than the four-run margin would indicate. Walter (now 11-1) was untouchable in the first two innings, striking out four Firebirds and only allowing contact on two easy grounders. Senior Oliver Craig, Chaparral's starter, was wild both innings, but settled down in time to preserve the tie.

The game's two decisive innings followed the same pattern. Walter worked his way out of a jam, and Goetz gave him some breathing room.

In the third inning, junior Konner Wade caused Walter's first hiccup, beating the pitcher to the bag on a chopper in front of junior first baseman John Schott. A bunt and a grounder moved Wade to third with two outs. Junior James McDonald walked. Senior Trey Ford turned on Walter's fastball, but senior right fielder Austin Brunke raced back to the warning track and hauled it in.

"It took everything off my shoulders," Walter said. "When I saw that ball, I just prayed that someone could get to it."

Following two Cactus strikeouts to begin the third inning, senior Colton Vaughn walked. Goetz golfed a fastball midway down the right field line for a double, driving in Vaughn.

"I noticed (Craig) was starting a lot of batters with a curve, in fact he threw one for a strike to begin that at bat," Goetz said. "When he got behind he threw fastballs and I was ready for it."

In the middle innings, Walter was working fast sweating heavily, which led to control issues. Chaparral made him sweat even more in the fifth inning.

Wade led off with a double to the base of the right field wall. After a strikeout, Walter hit senior Joel Hayden with a pitch. Tirella walked to the mound.

"He said 'When they go harder, you just slow everything down,'" Walter said.

It worked, for a little while. McDonald hit a pop fly. Then Walter grazed Ford on the arm to load the bases. Senior Jordan Weymouth worked the count full, then grounded out to end the threat.

After their escape, the Cobras were able to give Walter a cushion on the Goetz homer.

"That was uplifting in every single way possible," Walter said. "He just came up clutch all game."

Goetz, Cactus' No. 2 hitter, is usually called on to set the table. He picked an ideal time to muscle up for his third long ball of the season, and his first at a big league park.

"Eric isn't a home run hitter. He's more of a contact guy," Tirella said. "It was a curve that hung over the middle of the plate. As soon as he hit it, I though it was out. The sound it made was so loud."

Though Walter gave up his lone run in the sixth on a fielder's choice, he struck out two more Firebirds. The lanky senior finally ran out of gas midway through the seventh and left to an ovation from teammates and Cactus fans.

"He passed the final exam," Tirella said. "He may have gotten a C on a coule of test, but he got an A today. It's the end of one of the great baseball careers at this school."

Before Walter's farewell, he received one last insurance run. Junior Tate Headley was safe at first base after a poor throw pulled Wade off the bag. Scott hit a towering fly to shallow right field that dropped between three Chaparral players. Headley, sprinting the whole way, safely slid home ahead of a bouncing throw.

Chaparral loaded the bases in their final inning, but Fajardo struck out freshman Nick Diamond to end the game.

Last year's 6-2 semifinal loss, and a 8-5 defeat early this season caused Cactus to view Chaparral as its biggest hurdle. The Firebirds are the Cadillac of 4A baseball, boasting eight state titles.

"It was hard for me to give the pregame speech because it was about the Yankees, who I love," Tirella said. "I told them, 'You're going to have to beat the Yankees today.'"

Canyon del Oro will be the team with revenge on its mind Saturday. The Cobras eliminated the Dorados with a 12-2 thrashing in the 2008 state quarterfinals and squeaked by the Tucson school 2-1 earlier this year.

Tirella said he's not worried about his team's focus or the quick turnaround heading into the championship game.

"Kids will sleep in. We don't have school tomorrow. We'll hang out at Cactus for a while," he said. "The kids look forward to spending time with each other. I'm actually sad in a way, because tomorrow will be the last time we're together. This has been such an enjoyable group."