Central Valley’s baseball program continued its run of dominance versus crosstown-rival Ceres High earlier this month.
The Hawks extended their unbeaten streak versus the Bulldogs to eight games after earning a two-game sweep in non-conference play.
“Our confidence is high when we go against Ceres High,” Central Valley head coach/former Bulldogs’ multi-sport standout athlete Brad Bussard said. “We haven’t lost to them in four years.”
The Hawks edged the Bulldogs 6-5 in 11 innings on March 2 at Art McRae Field.
“We weren’t playing our best baseball,” Bussard said. “We were letting them stick around in the game.”
Central Valley sophomore Isaias Valdovinos batted 1-for-6 from the plate with one double, one RBI and one run.
Edmund Stewart batted 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Sophomore Fernando Dominguez chipped in with one RBI and one run.
Josiah Sandoval batted 3-for-4 with one run.
Edgar Peralta batted 2-for-6 with one double and one run.
Caiden Whittle collected one RBI.
Raul Hernandez scored one run.
Sophomore Mason Whitworth batted 1-for-3.
Juan Alonzo singled.
Nicholas Dominguez and Fernando Dominguez both logged playing time at pitcher.
Nicholas had six strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
He allowed no earned runs and two hits.
Fernando yielded no runs and two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings.
Fernando Dominguez accounted for the winning run.
He scored from third base when Stewart drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the seventh inning.
Stewart showed patience at the plate.
“He’s always had a calm and collective mentality on the baseball field,” Bussard said. “That’s what you expect from a four-year varsity starter.”
Host Central Valley routed Ceres High 14-1 in five innings on March 1.
“Our guys did what they needed to do. They did a good job of putting the ball in play.”
Chris Garcia led the way on offense as he batted 3-for-3 from the plate with one double, two RBIs and two runs.
Alonzo batted 2-for-3 with one double, two RBIs and one run.
Peralta batted 1-for-2 with two RBIs and one run.
Whittle batted 2-for-3 with two runs.
Valdovinos batted 1-for-2 with one RBI and one run.
Angel Calderon batted 1-for-1 with one double, one RBI and one run.
Whitworth collected one RBI and one run.
Dominguez and Stewart both scored twice.
Gabriel Reyes drove in one run.
Andre Flores singled and scored once.
“Hitting is contagious,” commented Bussard.
Pitcher Juan Alonzo gave up just two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in two innings.
Alonzo contributed out of the bullpen as a junior.
“He did a great job on the mound throwing strikes. It’s the performance I expected. To Juan’s credit, he put in a ton of work from last year to this year.”
The Hawks scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and eight in the third en route to building a commanding 11-0 lead.
“Our guys did a good job putting the ball in play."
Central Valley has won eight straight games against Ceres High dating back to the 2021 season.
“It’s a credit to our kids. We’ve been blessed to get some talent.
The Hawks will continue their crosstown rivalry with the Bulldogs in the future.
The two teams will face off in conference play beginning next school year.
Central Valley will relocate from the Central California Conference to the Western Athletic Conference as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.
“The program’s future is definitely bright,” Bussard said.
