After a tough shutout loss the day before, Desert Oasis rebounded Wednesday to defeat Liberty 11-4 at Desert Diamond Baseball Complex. The victory locked up the Desert League’s No. 2 seed in the Class 5A Southern Region playoffs for the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks (21-9-1, 6-4 Desert) trailed 1-0 after the top of the first but answered immediately. Junior left fielder Ryan Roshak crushed a three-run homer to right-center field, giving Desert Oasis a lead it would not surrender.

“That early momentum meant everything for the team,” Roshak said. “It takes a lot of pressure off the guys.”

Senior pitcher Crue Smith settled in after a shaky first inning, allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 5⅓ innings. “I think this win will boost our confidence and give us more motivation going into the playoffs,” Smith said.

Desert Oasis added three runs in the second inning on a bases-loaded walk by senior center fielder Aidan Smith and a two-run single from senior designated hitter Ashton Kidd to make it 7-1. Liberty cut the deficit to 8-4 in the sixth on RBI singles from senior Cayden Rodgers-Ramirez and senior Austin Pepe, but the Diamondbacks answered with three runs in the bottom half.

Sophomore second baseman Jayson Marquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. The Diamondbacks drew seven walks, including two each by senior catcher Landon O’Dell and freshman right fielder Sebastian Mansell. Liberty junior center fielder Nevan Chandler went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Patriots (15-16, 5-5 Desert).

“All year, they’ve responded after we’ve lost games,” Desert Oasis coach Paul Buboltz said. “This is an experienced group of guys that are hungry, and they knew what was at stake today.”