The Ceres Blaze eight-and-under travel baseball team qualified for the 2024 Pony Baseball West Zone World Series this past week.
The Blaze advanced to the prestigious event after successfully defending their title at the Pinto Northeast Region Championship Tournament.
“We definitely had high expectations,” head coach Ralph Valencia said. “We were one of the top teams. It was just a matter of the boys executing.”
Ceres compiled a 4-0 record on its way to a first-place finish at the Bel Passi-hosted event.
The Blaze outscored their opponents, 35-6.
Ceres played near-flawless defense.
“Offensively, all of our boys can hit the ball well,” Valencia said. “Defensively, we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to make plays because our pitching was very strong. We had a lot of strikeouts. When we had opportunities to make plays, we made them. We didn’t have a lot of errors.”
The Blaze won by forfeit versus Vacaville in the title game on Sunday.
The Thunderbirds opted to not play due to heat concerns.
Ceres and Vacaville had already qualified for the West Zone World Series as the top two teams were awarded berths.
“That was out of our control,” Valencia said. “I understand the concerns. We were ready to play the game. We were really confident. We had already 10-run ruled them on Friday.”
The Blaze routed the Brentwood All-Stars 11-1 in the semifinals on Saturday.
Ceres collected 12 hits.
Dean Escarcega batted 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs.
Brady Anderson batted 2-for-2 with one double, one RBI and two runs.
Tanner Bispo batted 1-for-2 with one RBI and two runs.
Danny Jacobo batted 1-for-2 with two RBIs and one run.
Abel Valencia batted 2-for-2 with one double and two runs.
Alex Galvan batted 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Cody Zuckerman batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Abel Acosta batted 0-for-2 with one run.
Anderson, Zuckerman and Bispo all contributed at pitcher.
Anderson gave up no runs and hits with five strikeouts and no walks in two innings.
Zuckerman allowed one run and one hit with two strikeouts and no walks in one inning.
Bispo surrendered no runs and hits with one strikeout and one walk in one inning.
The Blaze shut out the Thunderbirds 10-0 in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Ceres defeated the River Park All-Stars 14-5 in the opening round on July 8.
The Blaze accomplished their goal of repeating as Pinto Northeast Region champions.
The tournament was staged in 100-plus-degree weather.
“The boys never complained,” coach Valencia said. “They pushed through it. It wasn’t easy. We had fans in the dugout. We had cooling towels and plenty of ice water as well.”
Ceres will play Morgan Hill in the opening round of the Pony World Series this Thursday in Rodeo.
“This week is going to be tough,” Raph Valencia said.
12s
The Ceres Blaze 12-and-under travel baseball team claimed the Bronco Northeast Region Championship.
Ceres was awarded one of the tournament’s two berths to Super Regionals.
“I’m proud of them,” head coach David Rubio stated. “We’ve been playing since February. We’ve been preparing for this run. It all worked out. We’re in a good place right now.”
The Blaze posted a 4-0 record while capturing the title in Vacaville.
Ceres outscored its opponents, 40-5.
“We were expecting to win it and advance,” Rubio said. “We took care of business. We just wanted to compete.”
The Blaze cruised to an 18-0 win against El Cerrito in four innings during the championship game on Sunday.
“We felt very confident going into the game,” Rubio said. “We actually played them on Wednesday night. It was a tougher game.”
Ceres ace pitcher Chase Matulis had four strikeouts in 11/3 innings.
“He was dialed in,” Rubio said.
The Blaze scored 18 runs on 13 hits and two walks.
Matulis batted 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Christian Rubio batted 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs.
Leon Huerta batted 0-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs.
Lorenzo Beltran batted 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Aiden Navarro batted 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs.
Dominik Rojas batted 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs.
Mason Fernandez batted 1-for-2 with two RBIs and one run.
Elijah Sosa batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Aaron Couto and Rey Cabadas both chipped in with one run.
Ceres took control by tallying nine runs in the top of the first inning.
“That alone gave us all the confidence in the world,” coach Rubio said.
The Blaze bested Vacaville 5-2 in the semifinals on Saturday.
Ceres edged El Cerrito 4-1 on Wednesday.
The Blaze topped Fresno 13-2 in the opening round on July 1.
Ceres didn’t let the hot weather prevent it from capturing the title.
“The host city moved all of the games earlier so we wouldn’t be in the heat,” David Rubio stated. “It was still hot. The boys had their wet rags to try to stay cool. Vacaville provided ice-cold water.”
