Ceres High’s baseball program had a chance to secure a playoff berth this past week.
The upset-minded Grace Davis Spartans prevented that from happening by splitting a two-game Western Athletic Conference series with the Bulldogs.
“We dropped a game to a team we shouldn’t have lost to,” Ceres High junior pitcher Landyn Hudson said. “It should have been a clean sweep.”
The Bulldogs dropped to 12-14 overall and third place in the WAC standings after losing 6-5 to the Spartans on Thursday at Art McRae Field.
“I wouldn’t say we underestimated Davis,” Hudson stated. “We didn’t play up to our standards.”
Ceres High defeated Grace Davis 9-1 on April 26 in Modesto.
“We wanted it more,” Hudson said. “We showed it.”
Hudson improved his pitching record to 3-5.
“For the most part, I was dialed in,” he said. “I felt comfortable. I got my changeup going well the second time through their lineup.”
“I definitely love when my offense comes through,” Hudson added. “A lot of the pressure was lifted off my shoulders.”
Hudson helped his own cause by batting 2-for-4 from the plate with two runs.
Jorge Gonzalez batted 1-for-1 with two RBIs and two runs.
Vincent Castrejon batted 1-for-3 with three RBIs.
Xavier Pompa batted 1-for-3 with one double, one RBI and one run.
Josh Prestridge batted 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
Isac Cordova batted 4-for-4 with one double and one run.
Noel Anaya and Reis Smith chipped in with one run apiece.
Ceres High (8-4) trails Mountain House (11-1) and Los Banos (9-3) in the league standings.
The Bulldogs have a two-game lead over Lathrop (6-6) for the WAC’s final playoff spot.
Ceres High will face Mountain House twice this week.
The Bulldogs will host the Mustangs tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Hawks sweep Cougars
Central Valley High School’s baseball program earned a much-needed sweep against Escalon in non-conference play last week.
The Hawks improved to 11-13 on the year and 4-6 in the Central California Conference with a 12-2 mercy-rule victory over the host Cougars on Thursday.
Central Valley extended its unbeaten streak to three games.
“We’re playing how we should be,” Hawks’ pitcher Gabrial Lopez said. “Everybody has been contributing on offense the past couple games. There are still a lot of things we can be doing better.”
Lopez evened his pitching record at 5-5.
He yielded two runs and two singles with seven strikeouts and three walks in four innings.
“Luckily, I didn’t have to do much,” Lopez said. “Run support was insane.”
Lopez batted 3-for-4 from the plate with two RBIs and three runs.
Samuel Wilson batted 3-for-3 with one homer, two doubles, two RBIs and four runs.
Garret Garcia batted 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs.
Edmund Stewart batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Ryan Estermann batted 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Diego Delahoya and Devon Campos each scored once.
Chris Garcia doubled.
Roman Aguinaga and Kaiden Whittle both singled.
Central Valley topped Escalon 3-1 on April 26 in Ceres.
Chris Garcia earned a no-decision while turning in a respectable performance on the mound.
He surrendered one run and three hits with one strikeout and one walk in three innings.
Estermann (1-1) earned his first win of the season while contributing at pitcher.
He allowed no runs and one hit with three strikeouts and no walks while tossing four innings of relief.
Estermann batted 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs.
Garret Garcia batted 3-for-3 with one double and one run.
Gabrial Lopez batted 1-for-2 with one run.
Aguinaga, Wilson and Chris Garcia all scored once.
Campos, Alan Lopez and Josiah Sandoval singled.
The Hawks will close out the CCC season this week with a two-game series against the Golden Valley Cougars.
Central Valley, Merced (4-8) and Golden Valley (3-7) are battling for the CCC’s fourth-and-final playoff spot.
The Hawks trail El Capitan (8-2), Atwater (8-2) and Buhach Colony (7-3) in the league standings.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good spot,” Gabrial Lopez said. “If we want to keep playing baseball, we got to win. It’s do or die. The magic number is one.”
