One game was played in the rain, one dodged some raindrops, but both went in the win column for the varsity baseball boys.
Escalon headed to Patterson for a contest on Tuesday, March 20 and battled through the rain to take down the Tigers, 8-3.
“Patterson scored two in the first, we got one in the third,” said head coach Greg Largent. “Then we scored four in the fourth to take the lead.”
In the fourth, after an out, Nash Satnat was hit by a pitch, Tanner McCrary walked, Parker Cosby notched an RBI single and, after another out, Cole Gilbert had an RBI single. A wild pitch and a hit batter also contributed to the rally.
Patterson got one back in the fifth but the Cougars got some insurance in the sixth inning, with a single and steal of second by Max Nicholas, who then moved to third on a ground out, Gilbert brought him in with a sacrifice fly and Colton Lowney and Paul Ayala each had doubles.
Gilbert got the start and went three innings, allowing two runs. Most notable, however, was a three-pitch third inning to put the Tigers down in rapid succession.
Cosby came on in the fourth inning and got the win.
“It was an ugly, wet, cold day, we had three errors and the conditions contributed to that,” noted Largent.
The team came away with the win, though.
They were scheduled to play on Saturday at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton but found out late that it was a ‘no go’ because of rainy conditions during the week. With some phone calls and some fast rearranging, the Cougars were able to host East Union in Escalon for a Saturday noontime game.
“We fought through a rain shower or two,” Largent said. “Anthony LaRossa got the start, he ran into some tough luck, we had four errors in the game.”
LaRossa went five-and-a-third innings, scattering four hits and allowing four runs, just one of them earned. Ayala came on for the final inning and two-thirds and did pick up the win as the Cougars prevailed in a 6-4 final.
Escalon got two in the first, one in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead but gave it back with four runs allowed in the sixth inning.
“We threw away a double play ball, threw away another ball, we had three errors in that inning and gave up the lead, 4-3,” said the coach.
The good news, however, is that the squad bounced right back, scoring three of their own in the bottom of the sixth.
Satnat singled, Estephan Salcedo doubled, Nicholas walked with the bases loaded and Lucca Dutra had a two-run double to get the lead back for the home team.
“We went through the gamut, we were up, we were down, we scored when we needed to,” Largent said.
It was a rough day in the field, though, with the wind blowing and the occasional rain keeping conditions slick.
“Overall it was a productive week,” added the coach.
JUNIOR VARSITY
A win on a wet and wild Tuesday started the week for the JV Cougars, and they wrapped it up with a hard fought victory at home on Friday.
They traveled to Patterson for the Tuesday game, March 20.
“We battled the Tigers and the elements,” said head coach Ken Baptista. “We won 7-2. Our first five people scored, we batted around in the first.”
Demetrius Teixeira was the winning pitcher, going five strong innings. He struck out 10 and held the host Patterson squad hitless.
“It was his best performance so far,” Baptista said. “Noah Rast came on and pitched two innings in relief.”
Rast was strong as well, allowing just one hit while striking out five.
“Garrett Cox went 1-for-3, he had a single and two RBIs,” said Baptista.
Luke Anderson had a double and two RBIs, with Clay Evans rapping out a double and collecting two RBIs on the day.
Friday against East Union, the weather was much more conducive for baseball, with sunny skies greeting the players.
“This was a back and forth game, we won it 7-5,” the coach said, noting it was a good tune up game to get ready for Trans-Valley League action, battling a tough opponent.
“They scored two in the second, we scored three in the third and two in the fourth, they got three in the fifth,” Baptista said of heading to the late innings knotted at 5-5. “We scored two in the sixth, a key hit was a double by Luke Anderson.”
That put the JV squad up by the 7-5 score but they had to get through a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh to preserve the win.
“It was a really good test for us,” agreed Baptista.
Anderson got the start on the mound and went four innings, with Zack Hearn coming on for two innings of relief. He picked up the win. Ty Harris pitched the seventh inning.
“Kaidence Trejo had some great plays in center field, including a diving catch,” Baptista said.
The JV team also made solid contact at the plate once again. Evans was 2-for-3, Brad Hagglund was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Roman Gonzales had a double.
Trans-Valley League play for the Cougars begins this week, with the JV and varsity boys both taking on Riverbank in the ‘home and home’ series starting on the road Wednesday, March 28 and then hosting Riverbank on Thursday, March 29. Game time is 4 p.m.
