Ceres High’s boys volleyball team edged crosstown-rival Central Valley on the road this past month.

The Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) win while battling the Hawks in Western Athletic Conference play on March 17.

“It was competitive,” Ceres High head coach Kelly Heese said.

“We led in every single set,” Central Valley leader Julio Madrigal said. “We couldn’t close out. It comes down to killer instinct. I think it will happen eventually.”

The Bulldogs (6-6, 3-3) and Hawks (3-12, 2-4) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, during the first half of the WAC season.

“I’m not disappointed,” Heese said. “We’ve been competitive. Our struggle has been closing out games. Our goal is to beat the teams we lost to (during the second half of league play).”

“Our record doesn’t do us justice,” Madrigal said. “We’ve battled and competed with strong teams. We struggle to finish.”

The Bulldogs and Hawks relished competing in front of a large crowd. 

“It was important for the community to come out and cheer on student-athletes from both teams,” Madrigal said. “I had family and friends come to the game.”

Ceres High exacted revenge against Central Valley. The Bulldogs lost twice (3-0, 3-1) to the Hawks last season.

“To me, they’re just another opponent,” said Heese, who previously coached boys and girls volleyball at Central Valley. “To the kids, it’s a much bigger deal.”

BASEBALL

Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s baseball teams continued their pursuit of perfection against Western Athletic Conference competition last week.

The Hawks and Bulldogs remained unbeaten in WAC play after sweeping Livingston and Pacheco, respectively.

“We’re finding different ways to win,” Central Valley head coach Brad Bussard said. “That’s always going to be the recipe for success.”

“We get a lot done in practice,” Ceres High leader Bret Durossette stated. “The kids are paying attention to the details.”

The Hawks shut out the Wolves 2-0 on Thursday in Ceres.

Ezequiel Verduzco pitched a no-hitter while making his debut with Central Valley. 

The sophomore allowed no runs and no hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in seven innings.

Verduzco was doused with water after the game by Hawk teammates Aiden Prudhel and Tyson Hunt.

“I kind of surprised myself,” said Verduzco, who had to sit out the first 14 games of the season after transferring from Ceres High to Central Valley. “It’s pretty exciting. Mindset-wise, I just wanted to throw strikes. I put my trust in him (catcher Fernando Dominguez) and my defense.” 

Central Valley cruised to an 11-0 win over host Livingston in five innings on March 25.

The Hawks had 10 hits.

“We had an offensive outburst,” Bussard said. 

Edgar Peralta batted 2-for-2 from the plate with two homers, six RBIs and two runs.

“He tied a school-record for RBIs in a single game,” Bussard said.

Verduzco batted 2-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs.

Carter Hernandez batted 2-for-2 with two runs.

Chris Garcia improved his pitching record to 4-1. He gave up no runs and two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in three innings.

Central Valley (10-6) improved to 6-0 in the WAC standings.

Seventh-place Livingston dropped to 4-10 and 1-5.

“I’m extremely pleased with where we’re at,” Bussard said. 

Ceres High improved to 12-3 overall and 6-0 in WAC play following Thursday’s 8-6 road win against Pacheco.

Trailing 6-2, the Bulldogs scored six runs with two outs in the final inning to secure the victory versus the fifth-place Panthers (4-9, 2-4).

“We found a way to come back,” said Durossette, whose team extended its winning streak to nine games. “It just shows what we’re capable of. The kids are learning to battle. They don’t give up.”

The two teams combined for 22 hits, including 12 by Ceres High.

Aiden Maines batted from the plate 1-for-2 with one RBI and two runs.

Daniel Davis batted 1-for-4 with one double, two RBIs and one run.

Isaac Moreno batted 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run.

Mario Vargas improved his pitching record to 3-0. He yielded one run and five hits with two strikeouts and four walks in four innings in relief of Ashton Urena.

“He (Vargas) just loves the game of baseball,” Durossette said. “He competes.”

Vincent Castrejon pitched a complete game during Ceres High’s 5-3 triumph over Pacheco on March 25 at Art McRae Field.

He gave up two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and four walks in seven innings.

Castrejon has a 6-1 record on the mound.

“He gives us a chance to win every time he goes out there,” Durossette said. “He’s one of the best players in this area.”

Castrejon also helped his own cause by batting 1-for-3 from the plate with one double and two RBIs.

Moreno batted 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run.

Anthony Trevino batted 1-for-2 with one run.

Down 2-0, the Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the third inning and one in the seventh.

“It took us a while to get going,” Durossette said.