Ceres High’s baseball team kept its Sac-Joaquin Section postseason aspirations alive this past week following a two-game sweep of Grace Davis.
“We knew we had to win,” senior pitcher Brayden Clark said. “If we lost, we’re out of the playoff (hunt). We played our best and won.”
“The last couple weeks have been crucial,” head coach Raul Godinez stated. “The guys performed. They did great. Our defense was there. We scored some runs to help our pitchers.”
The Bulldogs (14-8, 8-4) took over sole possession of third place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 5-1 win against the Spartans on Saturday at Art McRae Field.
Ceres High freshman Ezequiel Verduzco pitched a gem of a game.
Verduzco allowed three hits and no earned runs with eight strikeouts and no walks in five innings while improving his record to 2-0. He lowered his earned-run average to 0.58.
“I’ve put him in some tough situations and he’s been doing his job,” Godinez said. “He has confidence. He believes in himself and his teammates. He’s a young kid. He’s having fun.”
“He’s been doing great and he’s going to continue to do great things for the next three years,” Clark added.
The Bulldogs totaled seven hits.
Carson Ulrich batted 1-for-2 from the plate with one RBI and two runs.
Kyan Bowen batted 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Clark batted 2-for-3 with one run.
Diego Mariscal batted 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Daniel Davis and David Diaz De Leon both batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Aiden Maines knocked in one run.
Ceres High defeated Grace Davis 6-2 on Wednesday in Modesto.
Clark improved his pitching record to 4-1.
He lowered his ERA to 0.89.
Clark gave up three hits and one earned run with six strikeouts and four walks in 52/3 innings.
“I wasn’t feeling too good going into the game,” Clark said. “I was sick. I just fought through it.”
The Bulldogs collected 11 hits.
Maines batted 2-for-4 from the plate with one double, one RBI and two runs.
Vincent Castrejon batted 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Verduzco batted 2-for-4 with two runs.
Bowen batted 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Mariscal batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Ernesto Miranda scored once.
Ceres High eliminated Grace Davis from playoff consideration.
The Spartans (10-8, 5-7) dropped to fifth place in the conference standings.
“Both games, we put runs up on the board early,” Clark said. “That’s when we run away with games.”
Clark and Verduzco also turned in strong performances on the mound.
“Me and Ezequiel were both on,” Clark said. “We dominated.”
The top three teams in the WAC will be awarded playoff berths following the conclusion of the regular season.
Ceres High had a one-game lead over fourth-place Beyer (12-10, 7-5) in the league standings as of Sunday.
Ceres High will play first-place Mountain House (16-8, 10-2) twice during the final week of conference play.
Mountain House and Los Banos (14-6, 10-2) both have a two-game lead over Ceres High.
Beyer closes out conference play with a two-game series versus sixth-place Pacheco (8-14, 4-8).
“The guys know how much is on the line,” Godinez said. “A sweep would get us into playoffs. If we play good baseball, I don’t see any reason why we can’t. They’re beatable.”
Hawks sweep Bears
Central Valley’s baseball team moved into sole possession of third place in the Central California Conference this past week following its sweep of Merced.
The Hawks and fourth-place Atwater are battling for the CCC’s final postseason spot.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position,” head coach Brad Bussard said. “It’s in our hands. Our playoff probability is 95 percent.”
Central Valley improved to 13-13 overall and 6-4 in the conference standings after edging Merced 5-4 on Thursday in Ceres.
Edmund Stewart improved his pitching record to 1-1 as he allowed five hits and no earned runs with three strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
“Eddie did a great job,” Bussard said. “He competed, threw strikes and let his defense work.”
Chris Garcia, who has pitched sparingly this season due to arm fatigue, picked up the save in relief of Stewart. The southpaw retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“He faced the heart of their order,” Bussard said. “He threw strikes and was competitive. It’s what we expect when Chris is on the mound.”
Garcia batted 1-for-3 on offense with one double, one RBI and one run.
Stewart batted 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Mason Whitworth was hit by pitches twice and scored a pair of runs.
Caden Mendonca batted 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Fernando Dominguez batted 1-for-3 with one run.
Andre Flores tallied one run.
Central Valley prevailed by the slimmest of margins, 3-2, while battling host Merced on April 23.
Nicholas Dominguez improved his pitching record to a team-best 5-3. He allowed one earned run and three hits with no strikeouts and two walks in 62/3 innings.
“He gave up a couple runs early,” Bussard said. “He locked in and figured things out. He started throwing strikes. He was competitive around the zone.”
Garcia secured his first save of the season.
The Bears stranded the tying run at second base as Garcia registered a strikeout to end the game.
Garcia could return to the Hawks’ starting rotation this week.
“That’s the plan,” Bussard said. “But it all depends on how he feels.”
Hawk Isaias Valdovinos led the way on offense as he batted 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Carter Hernandez batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Raul Hernandez scored twice.
Edgar Peralta contributed one run.
Central Valley battled back from a pair of deficits en route to beating Merced twice this past week. The Bears (11-12, 4-6) dropped to fifth place in conference play.
“When we play the game the right way, we can compete against the best of the best,” Bussard said.
Central Valley will close out the CCC season this week with a pair of games versus last-place Buhach Colony (2-23, 0-10).
The Hawks will travel to Atwater this Thursday to face the Thunder. The contest will get underway at 4 p.m.
“Our magic number is one,” Bussard said. “If we win one game this week, we’re in. If Patterson beats Atwater, we’re in.”
