Unlikely hero breaks out of slump to lead Palm Desert to 8-3 playoff win over Tustin
Nicholas Chavez struggled through a six-game streak without a hit to finish the regular season. You wouldn’t have guessed that watching him play on Tuesday.
In the second round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Chavez’s bat came alive, making the sophomore outfielder an unlikely hero for Palm Desert High School in an 8-3 win over Tustin.
Chavez, who was 4-for-4 in the game, didn’t do it alone. Ten players got on base and seven scored while freshman Sebastian Morales allowed just four hits and a walk from the mound.
Palm Desert (17-11) will play in the Division 4 quarterfinals Friday at home against Ontario Christian.
“I keep telling the guys that this time of year you just never know who’s going to be that guy,” Aztecs head coach Estevan Valencia said. “He might’ve been quiet all year long, he might’ve been a part-timer and all of a sudden he gets thrust into having to come in and get a big hit for us.”
Palm Desert never trailed in the game, but the Aztecs didn’t run away with the game from the start. They took a 3-0 lead into the second inning before Tustin tied it up in the third.
The Aztecs then scored four runs in the fifth inning to put the game away.
Morales finished out the game without allowing a run for the final four innings.
“This is the furthest I’ve been in CIF, so it means a lot,” senior catcher Pat Huang said. “It’s my last year playing, so it’s great to get this win and keep playing.”
After finishing the regular season with a hitless streak of six games, Chavez finally broke the slump in a first round playoff win over Valley View in Moreno Valley.
Then came his breakthrough on Tuesday to help rally the Aztecs.
“It means a lot,” Chavez said. “This game, I was on it. I locked in that first at-bat and just kept going.”
Stars of the game
Chavez finished the game with a run and an RBI. Senior outfielder David Gibbs was 3-of-4 with a pair of RBIs, a run and a stolen base. Junior infielder Stevie Hutchinson was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, two runs and a stolen base.
Huang and sophomore outfielder Addison Suess were both 2-for-3. Huang also finished with a run and an RBI.
Up next
Ontario Christian (14-14) beat Rio Mesa 7-6 on Tuesday. The Knights beat Burroughs last week, 8-0, to open the postseason.
Earlier this season, Ontario Christian beat La Quinta, 10-4. That same La Quinta team beat Palm Desert three times this season.
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert tops Tustin, 8-3, to reach CIF Division 4 baseball quarters
