Modesto Babe Ruth got a step closer to the Pacific Southwest Regional Championship on Thursday, defeating Mountain View 6-1 in what was a tight showdown for the majority of the game.

Modesto led 2-1 up until the 7th inning as they battled Mountain View’s pitcher from the plate and dug deep on defense. Modesto’s struggles came to an end in the 7th when A.J. Derr sparked an offensive rally with a base hit that was followed by a Cameron Godfrey RBI down the third base line. Matt Tyler followed with a line drive down the right field line for two more runs before Cody Simar tacked on the final run with a base hit. All four runs were scored with two outs on the board.

“It was a really close and good game,” Modesto’s head coach Bobby Swedberg said. “We’ve battled and been able to make things happen when we need to. They’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

Modesto’s victory advanced the team to the second round where they will face Hollister today. It will be the third meeting between the two teams in the last four games and is expected to be just as competitive.

“They’ll pressure us early and we’ll have to counteract that,” Swedberg said.

Today’s game will be played at 4 p.m. at Watsonville High.