With runners at the corners and one away in the fifth inning of a 2-2 game at the Pitman High School ballfield in north Turlock on Monday, junior Austin Bernard could’ve just blooped a single somewhere. A sac-fly or bunt could have done the job of giving the Pride the lead over Enochs.

The guys in green had other plans.

After junior Cole Kelley swiped second base to set up two runners in scoring position, Bernard  showed off his power by muscling a double to deep left field to give the Pride a 4-2 lead they’d never relinquish.

With the two-run advantage, Elias Mendez came on in relief of starter Ben Vilhauer to earn a six-out save and give the Pride a 1-0 start in the Central California Athletic League.

Mendez’s outing was highlighted by a three-pitch strikeout with runners on first and second in the top of the seventh to end the contest in emphatic fashion. In his two innings of work Mendez allowed three hits (two in the seventh) and walked none while punching out a pair to keep the Eagles at bay.

Vilhauer struggled with command early, walking the first two batters and then allowing a run to score on a wild pitch in the first inning. From that point on, he forced weak contact, retiring opposing hitters on five groundouts and three flyouts over the next three innings.

As Vilhauer found his groove, the Pride battled back in the fourth. Senior Nolan Walker led off the inning with a single, advanced on a walk by Vilhauer and advanced to third and scored on a pair of wild pitches. Vilhauer himself then scored on a single by Kelley to jump out to a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles tied the game in the fifth inning after leading off with three straight hits and capitalizing on a fielding error, but Vilhauer escaped with a flyout and earned the win backed by Bernard’s heroics the very next half inning. 

The Pride will visit Enochs on Wednesday for the second game of the opening series, and will return to the home campus in Turlock on Friday for the finale. First pitch for both games is set for 4 p.m.