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JV Baseball Boys Win Two Of Three
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After winning two games in bracket play, the JV baseball team fell short – basically running out of time – in a tournament finale.

They took on Johansen in the Windemuth tourney opener, soundly defeating the tourney host team 10-0 in six innings.

Moises Murga went the distance, allowing just two hits.

“He pitched very well,” said coach Travis Bartelink.

The team seemed to take exception to being scheduled against the tournament host in the opener, and proved they are not a team to take lightly.

“Robbie Rickman was 2-for-3, Christian Fernandez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Adam Roberson went 1-for-2 with three RBIs,” explained Bartelink.

They followed the shutout up with another decisive win the next day, topping Downey 14-2.

“We got five runs in the first, eight more in the second,” Bartelink said of jumping out early. “It was a five-inning game.”

Getting the start was Frankie Warren, who went the first four innings. Caleb Mullen pitched the final frame.

“We’ve been hitting the ball pretty well, playing good overall,” Bartelink said.

This win was no different, as the team got a 2-for-2 day with a pair of RBIs from Kash Satnat, a 2-for-4 day from Jackson Bennett with two RBIs. Also collecting hits were Wyatt Cockrell and Hashie Naraghi.

In the bracket play, Turlock and Escalon tied with two wins apiece and the first tie breaker, runs given up, was also a tie. The second tiebreaker was walks allowed, with Turlock giving up fewer than Escalon and so being given the bracket top seed. Pitman was the top seed on the other side of the bracket and Escalon ended up facing off with them, as Turlock did not want to play the Pride, said Bartelink.

“We treated it like it was the championship game,” the coach added. “But we had a rough start, we gave up seven runs in the first inning and had four errors.”

The JV boys battled back, scoring two in the first and five in the sixth, while Pitman added a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Bartelink said the discrepancy in the game came when, as the home team, Escalon was in the field in the top of the seventh as the game reached the two hour, 15-minute mark. For this tournament, there was a time limit for games but Bartelink said he believed an inning couldn’t start after the 2:15 mark but could be completed. The tournament official, however, ruled the game over with Pitman still up, leading 10-7, and Escalon not having a chance for their final at bat in the bottom of the seventh.

“I just feel like the kids didn’t get a fair shake,” Bartelink said.

The bright spot was a two-triple, five-RBI performance from Roberson.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him hit all year,” said Bartelink.

The team struggled as a pitching staff in the finale, though, leaving too many pitches up, and Pitman made them pay.

“Still, we went 2-1 for the tournament and they were all bigger schools,” Bartelink said.

The JV boys are home against Orestimba on Wednesday, on the road at Orestimba on Friday as Trans-Valley League play resumes.