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High-Scoring JV Cougars Notch Pair Of Wins Against Mustangs
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JV Cougar Clay Evans squares around to bunt in Trans-Valley League play with Mountain House on Wednesday. The JV boys won at home and on the road against the Mustangs this past week. Marg Jackson/The Times

Escalon’s JV baseball boys scored 28 runs in two games this past week, both of the contests going in the win column.

They hosted Mountain House on Wednesday, April 12 and then traveled for a game at Mountain House on Thursday, April 13 just before starting Spring Break.

Wednesday’s game saw Anthony LaRossa get the start on the mound, earning the win with a 10-strikeout performance, scattering four hits and giving up three runs in five-and-two-thirds innings.

Escalon got plenty of offense on the day, winning the game by a 10-3 final.

“We had five people get two hits each,” said head coach Ken Baptista. “This was a big team win.”

Brad Hagglund was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, with LaRossa and Dylan Ruiz each going 2-for-3 with one RBI each. Cole Gilbert and Noah Rast each went 2-for-4 and drove in a run.

“Then we went to Mountain House and won a football game, the final score was 18-12,” Baptista said. “It was like a three-hour, seven-inning game.”

Offense ran wild on both sides but the JV Cougars had the upper hand, including a monster day from Cole Gilbert. He was 2-for-3 with a home run, triple, four runs batted in and four runs scored.

Also contributing big hits and runs were Garrett Cox, going 2-for-5 with four runs batted in and a run scored; and Trevor Van Boven was 2-for-4 with four RBI.

Gilbert got the start and went three innings for the win, Carson George came on and pitched the final four innings of the slugfest.

The JV team is now 6-0 in Trans-Valley League action.

They will be busy this week with games in the Mark Dickens Tournament in Oakdale, playing against Buhach Colony on Wednesday, April 19 at 1:45 p.m. and facing off against Lincoln of Stockton on Thursday at 11 a.m.; both games will be at the Oakdale JV field. Friday’s opponent and time are to be determined, based on first and second round contests.

After the tournament, the JV boys won’t have a TVL game until Wednesday, May 3 when they head out on the road to face Hughson.