MODESTO — The third week of the Central California Athletic League baseball season is in the books, and it is all tied up atop the standings between crosstown rivals Turlock and Pitman.
Just like the Pride three weeks ago, the Bulldogs dropped the third and final contest of its three-game set against Enochs. Each team now has an 8-1 record heading into the penultimate week of the regular season.
For the Pride, the week was a breeze as they faced a struggling Downey team, winning all three games 10-0 and by the mercy rule. The Knights were even no-hit by Pitman starter Nolan Walker over the five innings of play.
The Bulldogs, however, had to grind against the Eagles, who are now 4-6 against conference opponents.
Turlock rode the stellar pitching of Mason Hackler en route to a 4-0 win in the second game of the series at Mark de la Motte Field on Wednesday. On the road Friday, a furious comeback attempt fell short and the Bulldogs lost 6-5.
In Wednesday’s win, the Eagles only had three baserunners. None of those Eagles even reached second base against the dominant flamethrower. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander struck out 11 as he pumped his high-80s fastball past Eagles hitters.
Hackler gave up a single to the first batter of the game, and hit the next one. The early struggles did little to faze him, as he retired the next 14 batters in order. In the third inning, he struck out the side.
Hackler almost did it all on one pitch.
“My fastball was good today. It was moving a lot,” Hackler said, whose record improved to 4-1 and his ERA dropped to 2.06. “My cutter wasn't as good today, and I couldn't get my curveball located. Every once in a while, the cutter came out solid and helped me get through some innings.”
“The cutter is Mason’s bread and butter pitch,” added Turlock skipper Mike Souza. “It was a little off, but he was still able to command the zone. He did his job for us, as he has all year.”
All four of Turlock’s runs came in the second inning. Cameron Henard and Braydon Keyler led off the inning with consecutive singles and raced home when a sharp grounder off the bat of Braiden Fuentes ate up the Enochs shortstop. Two batters later, a Cooper Pacheco line drive to center field was misplayed and rolled slowly to the warning track. It scored two runs as Pacheco hustled into third base.
A similar story unfolded in favor of the Eagles on Friday, as they scored all six of their runs in the first inning.
Facing Keyler, the first five Enochs batters of the game reached base.
Keyler allowed six hits, walked one, advanced a runner on a balk and had an error recorded behind him. He only retired two batters via a pickoff and a lineout before being pulled with four earned runs attributed to him.
The lead proved too much to overcome despite Turlock staging multiple rallies. The Bulldogs also stranded runners in scoring position in three different innings.
Owen McCord drove in Turlock’s first run with an RBI single in the third inning. In the fourth inning Fuentes again found himself in the middle of the offensive action, driving in two runs when he smacked a triple to the center field wall. Fuentes scored on the very next pitch on a triple by Adam Torres, who totaled three hits on the afternoon. Torres then scored on a sac-fly by Cooper Pacheco.
Pacheco led off the top of the seventh inning with a roaring line drive to right center field. What many anticipated to be an extra base hit turned into nothing at all, as Eagles right fielder Blake Bennet made a diving catch, with his full body extended, to rob Pacheco. The next two Turlock batters were promptly retired on the next three pitches.
The fourth week of CCAL play will offer the Bulldogs a strong chance at bouncing back as they’ll play three games against an 0-9 Modesto High squad. The Pride, though, will go against a tough 4-5 Gregori team in a three-game set.
The Bulldogs will host the Panthers on Monday and Friday at Mark de la Motte Field. Wednesday’s game will be at John Thurman Field in Modesto.
The Pride will be on the road on Monday and Friday. The Jaguars will visit the Pitman ballfield in north Turlock on Wednesday.
All games next week are scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m.
