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Pitchers do well at home tourney
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The Ceres High baseball team could have gone undefeated at the Art McRae Tournament in Ceres but a host of untimely errors proved costly.

"We just have to learn how to finish teams off," said Ceres coach Tim Williams.

Ceres won two of four games at the nine-team, two-bracket tournament. The Bulldogs played Edison, Stagg, Franklin and Lodi.

"We did see a lot of positives," Williams said.

Ceres' pitching staff and catcher were dominant.

Pitchers Chad Leazer, Kevin Goblirsch, Hector Reyes, Nick Eudy, Derrick Goblirsch and Mike Arnold gave up 13 runs in four games.

"They gave up just three earned runs in 28 innings," said Ceres pitching coach Greg Magni.

Catcher Cole Stanhope threw out eight of 10 runners in the tournament

"That's expected," Williams said. "He's the quarterback of this team."

Ceres 5, Edison 4

The Bulldogs defeated the Vikings despite blowing a three-run lead in the top of the seventh inning on Saturday. Derrick Goblirsch scored from first base after Edison's center fielder dropped Brian Borges' flyball in the bottom of the eighth inning.

"Brian Borges stepped up," Williams said. "He went 4-for-5 with three doubles and had the game-winning RBI."

The Vikings evened the score at 4-all with two down in the seventh inning thanks in part to an error by Reyes, Ceres' shortstop. Reyes' throw got past Goblirsch at first base. He could have got the force out at second.

Stanhope put Ceres ahead 4-0 in the fifth inning. He belted a 3-run homer over the left-field fence. Borges and Brad Simmons scored from third and first, respectively.

Stanhope kept the Vikings from scoring in the fourth inning as he threw out two runners at second base.

Arnold, Ceres' starting pitcher, gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He also fanned eight batters. Leazer, the Bulldogs' reliever, gave up three runs on two hits in two innings. He had three strikeouts.

"Mike Arnold threw a great game," Williams said.

Stagg 4, Ceres 3

The Bulldogs left two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning en route to a one-run loss to Stagg on Thursday.

Starter Derrick Goblirsch gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out five batters in five innings. Kevin Goblirsch gave up one run and fanned five in three innings of relief.

Simmons accounted for two of the Bulldogs' runs. He scored in the first inning and scored on a passed ball in the third inning.

Brandon Gresham scored from third in the seventh inning.

Lodi 5, Ceres 4

The Bulldogs blew a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday.

Garrett Schnable, Lodi's No. 2 hitter, scored the game-winning run on a throwing error. His two-run triple to right field tied the game at 4-all.

"We were one pitch away from a victory," Magni said.

Reyes, Ceres' starting pitcher, gave up two runs in six innings. He threw 80 pitches.

"We didn't expect to get six innings out of him, which was a nice surprise," Magni said. "He pitched very well."

The Bulldogs led 4-1 at the end of the third inning.

Simmons hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to put Ceres ahead 2-1.

The Flames cut the Bulldogs' lead to two, 4-2, in the top of the fifth inning.

Ceres 2, Franklin 0

The Bulldogs won their first non-league game of the season on Tuesday, March 3.

Leazer and Kevin Goblirsch were dominant. Leazer didn't give up any hits, walked six and struck out one in 31/3 innings of work. Goblirsch gave up four hits in 32/3 innings.

Leazer and Goblirsch also got plenty of support from Stanhope.

"The difference was our catcher," Magni said. "Their running game got shutdown by Cole. He threw out three of four runners in the game." - By DALE BUTLER / Staff Reporter of The Ceres (Calif.) Courier