Central Valley’s varsity baseball team won and tied once during what might have been its final week of the 2020 campaign.
School districts in Stanislaus County suspended all athletic events, effective March 16, for the remainder of the month to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
“It’s a sad situation,” coach Derrick Goblirsch said. “We were really hitting our stride. But safety comes first. We want to stop it from spreading rather than getting baseball games in.”
Central Valley battled to a 2-2 tie with host Manteca in a game shortened due to darkness on March 13.
“We both wanted to keep playing knowing we’re going to be off for a while,” Goblirsch said.
Hawk sophomore pitcher Gabrial Lopez earned a no-decision.
Lopez allowed two runs and six hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in seven innings.
“He threw a fantastic game, probably his best since he’s been here. He had his best stuff. He dominated them.”Coach Derrick Goblirsch on Gabrial Lopez
“He threw a fantastic game, probably his best since he’s been here,” Goblirsch said. “He had his best stuff. He dominated them.”
Lopez contributed on offense with one RBI and one single.
Angel Vega batted 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Segio Solis batted 1-for-4 with one run.
Omar Navarro scored once.
Donnie Tonelli and Samuel Wilson both singled.
Each team scored one run in both the first and seventh innings.
“The kids enjoyed themselves,” Goblirsch said. “That led to them playing one of the best games we’ve played this year.”
Central Valley opened Central California Conference play with a 7-6 win at Golden Valley on March 12.
Lopez broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the eighth inning when he drove home Xavier Valencia from third base with a sacrifice fly.
“Winning in extra innings showed a lot of character,” Goblirsch said. “It was a confidence booster.”
The Hawks totaled eight hits on offense.
Lopez collected one RBI and one run.
Valencia scored and singled once.
Brandon Ramirez batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Wilson batted 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Isaiah Hidalgo batted 1-for-5 with one RBI and one run.
Ryan Estermann had one RBI and one run.
Solis had one run and one triple.
Vega had one RBI.
Adrian Garcia had one run and two singles.
Estermann notched his first victory of the season at pitcher.
He had one strikeout and one walk while tossing three innings of relief.
Estermann gave up two earned runs and one hit.
Solis, Central Valley’s starter, tallied five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
He allowed one earned run and six hits.
The Hawks improved to 2-5-1 overall and 1-0 in the CCC standings.
Central Valley’s baseball program and other spring sports teams will find out if they’ll resume their seasons next month.
“We had a great group,” Goblirsch said. “We had high expectations. We were really looking forward to having some success.”