Ceres High’s baseball team had a respectable showing against heavily-favored West Park in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs.

The 15th-seeded Bulldogs put a major scare into the second-seeded Panthers before suffering a 9-5 loss on May 7 in Roseville.

Ceres High led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the third inning.

The Bulldogs were outscored 6-1 the rest of the game thanks in large part to three errors.

“We gave them a run for their money,” head coach Bret Durossette stated. “It was competitive. Their coach said we were a scrappy team.”

“Our team showed up all year long and played hard,” he added. “Hopefully, we get more kids excited about playing baseball.”

Ceres High compiled a 19-9 overall record and placed second in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 10-4 mark.

West Park posted a 24-8 overall record and finished second in the Metropolitan Conference League with a 13-2 mark. The Panthers topped No. 7 Manteca 10-9 in the quarterfinals and lost 2-0 to No. 3 Yuba City in the semifinals of the playoffs.

The Bulldogs swept Pacheco, Grace Davis, Lathrop and Johansen, split with Beyer and Livingston, and lost twice to Central Valley during WAC play.

Ceres High outscored its opponents, 193-95.

The Bulldogs had a team batting average of .296 with 112 stolen bases.

Ceres High also won 12 games in a row from Feb. 28 to April 8. 

“The kids had a great year,” Durossette said. “They did a phenomenal job. They 100 percent exceeded expectations.”

Ceres High had six different players collect at least one hit against West Park.

Carson Ulrich batted 2-for-4 from the plate with one RBI and one run.

Daniel Davis batted 1-for-1 with two RBIs.

Vincent Castrejon batted 0-for-2 with two runs, two walks and one stolen base.

Mario Vargas batted 2-for-3 with one run.

Ashton Urena batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.

Aiden Maines batted 1-for-3 with one run.

Anthony Trevino singled.

The Bulldogs almost swayed the momentum of the game in the top of the sixth inning.

Down 9-5, Castrejon just missed hitting a three-run homer to left field.

“They hit three homeruns,” Durossette said. “That’s baseball.”

Castrejon made his final start at pitcher versus West Park.

He gave up seven earned runs and 12 hits with one strikeout and one walk in five innings.

“He did great,” Durossette said. “We had some pop flies we dropped. We made some crucial mistakes. Their defense was really good. They made all of the plays.”

Vargas had two strikeouts while tossing one inning of relief.

He allowed no runs and one hit.

Ceres High competed with a 10-man roster for the majority of the season.

Gabe Malagon (So.), Jake Oliver (Fr.) and Isaiah Reyes (Fr.) were promoted to varsity at the end of the year.

“It’s been a blessing to be around these guys,” Durossette said. “They liked each other. There was no drama.”

Ceres High will lose four players to graduation, including Castrejon, Davis, Maines and Ulrich.

Castrejon batted .348 from the plate on the year with one homer, two triples, four doubles, 33 RBIs, 28 runs and 18 stolen bases.

He compiled a 10-3 record with a 2.02 earned run average, 74 strikeouts, 22 walks, one no-hitter, two shutouts and four complete games while starring a pitcher.

Maines batted .346 with three doubles, 13 RBIs, 29 runs and 20 stolen bases.

Ulrich batted .295 with one triple, six doubles, 12 RBIs, 32 runs and 30 stolen bases.

Davis batted .250 with five doubles, 17 RBIs, 22 runs and 14 stolen bases.

“It was good for the seniors to make playoffs,” Durossette said. “They’ve been playing together for a long time.

Urena (Jr.), Vargas (So.), Trevino (So.), Malagon (So.), Oliver (Fr.), Reyes (Fr.), Jayden Lopez (Jr.), Junior Sombrerero (So.) and Isaac Moreno (Fr.) could return to the team next season.

Urena batted .352 with four doubles, 17 RBIs and 17 runs.

He posted a 5-4 record with a 3.06 ERA, 53 strikeouts, one no-hitter and two complete games at pitcher.

Vargas batted .308 with one double, 11 RBIs and 14 runs.

He posted a 2-3 record with a 2.12 ERA, 23 strikeouts, one complete game and two saves on the mound.

Moreno batted .246 with one triple, five doubles, 12 RBIs, 18 runs and 10 stolen bases.

He had a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Sombrerero batted .250 with one double, four RBIs and nine runs.

Trevino batted .229 with seven RBIs and 14 runs.

Lopez chipped in with five runs and one hit.

Reyes hit .750 with one RBI and three runs.

Oliver hit .750 with one RBI.

Malagon hit .333 with one RBI and one run.

Ceres High enjoyed one of its most successful seasons to date during Durossette’s third stint as head coach.

He previously led the Bulldogs from 1996-99 and 2007-10.

“The AD (Athletic Director John Bussard) asked me if I wanted to coach again,” Durossette said. “It was perfect timing.”

Dalton Durossette, Bret’s son, and Fulvio Bertolotti, wife Angela’s uncle, were members of Ceres High’s coaching staff. 

“It was a great experience to be around these kids,” Bret Durossette said. “I got to coach with people I love. It was fun.”

Ceres High will be vying for its 11th playoff appearance in 16 seasons next spring.

“Hopefully, we come back and do better than we did this year,” Bret Durossette said. “The expectation is to buy into playing baseball and do the right things to be competitive.”