Taking a win off the home diamond from visiting Riverbank on March 30, Escalon’s varsity Cougars saw their road game against the Bruins postponed. They put the baseball win on the books Wednesday but a lockdown at some Riverbank schools after threatening graffiti was found in a high school bathroom on Friday, April 1 forced postponement of that contest. Head coach Greg Largent said his Cougars will travel to Riverbank on Saturday, April 9 for the make-up game.

Escalon also played a non-league game this week, against Linden on the road on April 2, taking on a team coached by EHS alum Gino Franceschetti.

In the Riverbank game on Wednesday, it was an 8-1 win for the host Cougars. They scored a run in the first, three in the third, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Riverbank had a run in the sixth.

Key hitters for the Cougars were Jamin Miller, who connected on a three-run homer over the left field fence in the third inning, while Nico Franzia was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in.

Mark Valente went six innings for the win, striking out seven. Josh Miller came on in relief and struck out the side in the seventh.

Franzia also had a double on the day and Colton Page had a bunt single.

On Saturday, it was the Linden trip and the Cougars faced a hard throwing right harder who is being scouted by the Chicago White Sox.

“It was a close game until the fifth,” Largent noted.

Linden got a run on the board in the second, Escalon got one in the fourth, with two-out walks to Zack Valencia and Jamin Miller, with Josh Miller then notching an RBI single.

Linden added two in the fifth and then broke through for some more runs late, taking an 8-1 win.

“We managed just two hits and we struck out 13 times,” Largent noted. “Their guy threw hard, upper 80s, lower 90s.”

Orion Hoover, with a pinch hit single, had the other hit for Escalon in the loss.

League play this week will see the Cougars at Hughson on Wednesday, April 6 and then host the Huskies on Friday, April 8.

The Saturday game at Riverbank is scheduled for 10 a.m.

The JV boys had no league action this week; they also took a loss on the road at Linden on Saturday and did get two wins in earlier TVL play against Livingston.