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JV Baseball Boys Aim To Capture TVL Title
LaRossa
Junior varsity pitcher Anthony LaRossa gets ready to make the delivery in recent action. He got the win in relief against Hughson on the home field on May 3. Marg Jackson/The Times

Roaring back from an early deficit, the Escalon JV baseball team kept their undefeated record intact with a win at home against Hughson on Tuesday, May 3. They also won on the road Thursday, and are on track for the Trans-Valley League championship.

“We were down at one point 8-2,” head coach Ken Baptista said of the unusual start to the Tuesday game. “We scored five runs in the sixth to tie it, got a run in the bottom of the seventh to win it.”

Devin Roberson got the game-winning RBI on a bases loaded at-bat when he was hit by a pitch.

Steven Grossi started the game and went four-plus innings.

“We were rusty, we had been off for 10 days,” Baptista said of the JV squad not doing well defensively behind Grossi.

“Anthony LaRossa had three innings pitched, got the win and did a very good job,” said Baptista.

Roberson had two hits, Max Nicholas had a double and a triple.

“Cole Gilbert had a leadoff triple in the seventh,” Baptista said. “That was followed by two walks to load the bases, then the batter hit by a pitch.”

Estephan Salcedo went 1-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in, Luca Dutra had the game-tying RBI on a walk.

Thursday, the team headed to Hughson and played a much better game overall, taking down the Huskies in five innings, winning 13-2.

“We got five runs in the first inning and never looked back,” said the coach. “Paul Ayala pitched, he went five innings, struck out four and allowed two runs.”

Offensively, Gilbert was 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in, Tanner McCrary had a home run, Ayala helped his own cause with two hits and two RBIs.

This week, the team wraps up their season. They were slated to be at Hilmar on Tuesday, May 10 after The Times went to press and will host the Yellowjackets in the season finale today, Wednesday, May 11.

“We’re going for another league championship,” Baptista said. “We’re trying to get to 20 wins, we can do that if we win both against Hilmar.”

If the team reaches that mark, it will be the second straight year and this year’s sophomores will have won 40 games at the JV level in their two seasons of play.

Game time on Wednesday is 4 p.m.