The disappointment of squandering a three-run lead in a 5-4 loss to Beyer at the Modesto Nuts’ High School Baseball Showcase at John Thurman Field served as motivation for Ceres High heading into the Dick Windemuth Tournament.
The Bulldogs bounced back in a major way by winning all four of their games at the Modesto High event.
“I’m proud of them for winning the tournament,” Ceres High head coach Raul Godinez said. “It’s a good momentum builder, especially after the league loss to Beyer. We played together as a team. We’ve been improving on things we’ve been working on.”
The Bulldogs pulled away for a 10-4 win over the Ripon Christian Knights in the championship game on April 6.
“We were really disciplined at the plate,” Godinez said. “We put the ball in play and eventually wore down their defense.”
Ceres High had a host of contributors on offense.
Vincent Castrejon batted 2-for-3 from the plate with one homer, one double, two RBIs and two runs.
Ernesto Miranda batted 0-for-4 with four RBIs and one run.
Mario Vargas batted 1-for-3 with two RBIs and one run.
Carson Ulrich batted 2-for-3 with two runs.
Ezequiel Verduzco batted 1-for-2 with two runs.
Anthony Trevino batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Daniel Davis collected one RBI.
Donovan Osuna scored once.
Bulldog ace pitcher Brayden Clark totaled eight strikeouts in 62/3 innings.
He allowed no earned runs and just two hits.
“He’s been doing great for us. He’s a competitor. He’s strong mentally.”
Ceres High led 3-1 through three innings of play.
The Bulldogs took control by scoring six runs in the top of the fifth inning.
“It was a close game. We busted it open with a great inning. Everybody did their job.”
Ceres High exacted revenge by beating Beyer 5-4 in the semifinals on April 3.
“We’re pretty evenly-matched,” Godinez said. “The guys really wanted to win the game.”
Verduzco batted 1-for-3 with two RBIs and one run.
Ulrich batted 1-for-2 with one double and one run.
Aiden Maines scored twice.
Davis collected one single and one run.
Miranda chipped in with one single and one RBI.
Kyan Bowen singled.
Castrejon gave up two earned runs and six hits with six strikeouts and one walk in five innings at pitcher.
Ceres High defeated host Modesto High 16-4 on April 2.
Verduzco batted 2-for-4 with one homer, six RBIs and two runs.
Maines batted 3-for-4 with one double, one RBI and four runs.
Castrejon batted 3-for-4 with one homer, one double, two RBIs and two runs.
Bowen batted 2-for-4 with one double, one RBI and three runs.
Ulrich batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run.
Miranda batted 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Diego Mariscal batted 2-for-2 with one run.
Davis batted 1-for-3 with one double and one run.
Nathan Cazarez scored once.
Ceres High held on for an 8-6 win over Gustine on April 1.
Miranda started at pitcher.
He surrendered one earned run and three hits with two strikeouts and one walk in three innings.
Miranda received plenty of run support.
Verduzco batted 2-for-2 with one double, three RBIs and one run.
Ulrich batted 1-for-1 with one RBI and one run.
Bowen batted 2-for-3 with two runs.
Zachary Van Atta batted 2-for-3 with one run.
Cazarez batted 1-for-1 with one RBI.
Clark batted 1-for-4 with one RBI.
Castrejon and Maines both batted 1-for-4 with one run.
Osuna chipped in with one run.
Vargas and Ashton Urena both singled.
The Bulldogs accomplished one of their season goals by taking first at the Windemuth Tournament.
“That’s what we were shooting for,” Godinez said. “We learned a lot from the loss to Beyer. We don’t want to lose like that again.”
The Bulldogs improved to 10-6 on the year.
Hawks struggle
Head coach Brad Bussard didn’t express any concerns following the Central Valley baseball team’s 0-3 showing at the Mark Dickens Invitational this past week at Oakdale High School.
“We didn’t play our best baseball, which is frustrating,” Bussard said. “That’s not the way we wanted it to go. The good news is we’re 3-1 in league. We’re right in the position we need to be.”
The Hawks dropped to 9-10 overall following Wednesday’s 14-4 loss to Wheatland. The Pirates improved to 12-4.
Central Valley contributed to its own downfall by committing six errors.
The Hawks collected nine hits on offense.
Edgar Peralta batted 2-for-2 from the plate with two RBIs.
Juan Alonzo batted 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run.
Edmund Stewart batted 2-for-3 with one run.
Chris Garcia batted 2-for-2 with one RBI.
Sophomore Caden Mendonca batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Sophomore Mason Whitworth scored once.
Sophomore Fernando Dominguez singled.
Las Plumas shut out Central Valley 4-0 on April 2.
The Hawks had a quiet day on offense.
Whitworth batted 1-for-3 from the plate with one double.
Andre Flores singled.
Central Valley totaled three errors.
Central Valley dropped its tournament opener, 10-2, to eventual-champion Hughson on April. 1.
The Hawks had three hits.
Central Valley made two errors.
The Hawks’ three opponents at the Dickens Invitational have a combined record of 39-11. Wheatland, Las Plumas and Hughson all qualified for the postseason in 2023.
“The nice part about high school baseball is league games are what matter,” Bussard said. “We go to Oakdale to play high-caliber teams, and to help prepare us for league and playoffs.”
