Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s baseball teams welcomed the opportunity to compete at the Modesto Nuts’ High School Showcase last month at John Thurman Field.
“It was a great experience for the kids being able to play at a minor-league stadium,” Hawks’ head coach Brad Bussard said. “It shows the direction our program is going in.”
“It was fun,” Bulldogs’ senior pitcher Bradyn Clark said. “It was a great experience for all of us to get to play on a Major League field. Me and my family go to the fireworks show there every year and watch the game.”
Central Valley held on for a 4-3 win over Downey on March 16.
“It was great to see our kids battle,” Bussard said.
The Hawks collected five hits on offense.
Juan Alonzo batted 1-for-3 from the plate with one homer, three RBIs and one run.
Chris Garcia batted 1-for-2 with one triple and two runs.
Sophomore Mason Whitworth batted 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Sophomore Fernando Dominguez batted 1-for-2 with one run.
Caiden Whittle batted 1-for-3.
Alonzo belted a 3-run homer over the left-field fence in the bottom of the first inning.
Whitworth drove in what proved to be the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Central Valley extended its lead to 4-0 when Garcia scored from third on Whitworth’s single up the middle.
Garcia allowed no runs and two hits with two strikeouts and no walks while tossing one inning of relief at pitcher.
He got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the seventh inning.
Ceres High lost 5-4 to Beyer on March 30.
The game was supposed to be played on March 23 but was rescheduled due to raining weather.
“I feel like we played good,” Clark said. “We were the better team by far the first six innings. We came out strong. We were making plays. I thought we had the game.”
Clark earned a no-decision at pitcher. He surrendered one earned run and three hits with six strikeouts and five walks in six innings.
He exited the game after tossing his 102nd pitch.
“He’s a gamer,” Godinez said. “He wanted me to leave him in. I have to protect my players.”
Clark singled on offense.
Ernesto Miranda batted 2-for-3 with one run.
Zachary Van Atta batted 1-for-1 with one run.
Carson Ulrich batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Kyan Bowen batted 1-for-4 with one RBI.
Aiden Maines scored once.
Vincent Castejon doubled and singled.
The Patriots erased a three-run deficit in the final inning to stun the Bulldogs.
“It stings a little bit,” Godinez said. “We were playing good baseball. We were so close to winning.”
A total of 12 teams were invited to play in the High School Baseball Showcase, including Central Valley, Ceres High, Downey, Beyer, Escalon, Linden, Gregori, Central Catholic, Patterson, Hilmar, Enochs and East Union.
WAC PLAY
Ceres High’s baseball team topped Western Athletic Conference-rival Pacheco twice in a three-day span this past week.
The Bulldogs remained in a tie atop the WAC standings after posting a 9-2 win over the third-place Panthers on Friday at Art McRae Field.
Ceres High improved to 12-6 overall and 6-2 in league.
Bulldog pitcher Vincent Castrejon improved his record to 2-0 as a starter. He allowed one earned run and two hits with three strikeouts and four walks 41/3 innings.
Castrejon helped his own cause by batting 1-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs and one run.
Ezequiel Verduzco batted 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Daniel Davis batted 0-for-3 with two RBIs and one run.
Kyan Bowen batted 2-for-4 with one double and two runs.
Ceres High defeated Pacheco 8-6 on Wednesday in Los Banos.
Verduzco got the win in relief of starting pitcher Ulrich. He had nine strikeouts in 52/3 innings.
Verduzco helped his own cause by batting 2-for-4 from the plate with one double and two runs.
Davis batted 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Mario Vargas batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
CCC ACTION
Central Valley’s baseball team remained in a tie for second place in the Central California Conference standings after securing a split versus first-place El Capitan.
The Hawks moved to 10-11 overall and 4-2 in the CCC.
Central Valley edged El Capitan 6-4 on April 9 in Merced.
Chris Garcia accounted for what proved to be the game-winning hit with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.
Garcia’s double one-hopped the fence in right field and scored Caiden Whittle and pinch runner Raul Hernandez.
Garcia batted 1-for-3 from the plate with one double and two RBIs.
Isaias Valdovinos batted 0-for-1 with one RBI and one run.
Edgar Peralta batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Hawk starting pitcher Nicholas Dominguez totaled three strikeouts in seven innings.
Central Valley lost 7-0 to El Capitan on Thursday in Ceres.
The Hawks mustered just two hits as Garcia and Andre Flores both singled.
