The Sac-Joaquin Section baseball postseason got underway Wednesday with three local programs hosting opening round games. Up in Division I, the three-time, defending Central California Athletic League champion Turlock High, seeded fifth in the bracket, welcomed No. 12 Edison of Stockton to Mark de la Motte Field, and pulled away late to win by an 8-1 score and advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round.
Similar to the impact he has made over the years on the gridiron at Joe Debely Stadium as a standout wide receiver, senior center fielder Landyn Fitzgerald was key to the Bulldogs’ win with both his glove and bat.
Holding onto a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, the Vikings had the tying run at first in the speedy Anthony Morones, who singles with one out. The next batter, Roman Stewart flew out to Fitzgerald in deep center as Morones took off to attempt a steal. Fitzgerald then unleashed a one-hop missile back to first baseman Cooper Pacheco, whose scoop successfully completed a double play to end the inning.
“They were trying to get a rally going. (Morones) had that base hit and I saw him take off and knew that there was a play to be made,” Fitzgerald said. “Once I saw the ball fly to me, I knew I was throwing it and was going to get him.”
Starting pitcher Cameron Henard only threw eight pitches in the frame. He, Fitzgerald, Pacheco and the Turlock offense proved that momentum had shifted to their dugout. All four drove in runs in a five-run sixth inning.
Pacheco grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate Adam Torres, and scored on a double to deep left by Aiden De Los Santos. Henard then scored Owen McCord on a sacrifice fly. De Los Santos hustled home on a single by Braydon Keyler and a throwing error. Fitzgerald capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single up the middle.
“Our dugout is always loud, and the offense has been great all year,” Fitzgerald said. “But after that throw, we just turned it on. It was pretty awesome.”
Henard struck out 10 and allowed just the one unearned run on three hits and two walks as he went the distance in his third start of the season. The lone blemish on his line came on a rare play in the first inning, when a throw down to third base by the catcher, De Los Santos, struck the batter, Emiliano Zapata, and ricocheted into the Turlock dugout, automatically advancing the baserunner to home.
“I just had to put it past me and trust my teammates, because I know my teammates can rally up and score a lot of runs, as we did,” Henard said. “I know I can trust my team no matter what happens when I'm on the bump. I felt great. I was going into this week knowing I was going to start, and I mentally prepared myself for everything. I made sure all my mechanics and pitch grips were all good, and just had to come out and show it.”
The Turlock offense quickly bounded back, tying the game in the bottom of the first as Torres raced home when Owen McCord grounded into a double play with no outs and the bases loaded. The Bulldogs then took the lead in the third on a De Los Santos sac fly that brought in Pacheco. McCord gave the Bulldogs its eighth run in the sixth inning with an RBI double.
The Bulldogs will be on the road to play No. 4 Granite Bay on Friday. The Grizzlies (17-12) defeated Mountain House by a 9-0 score on Wednesday.
“It’s always tough in the playoffs, facing teams and guys you’ve never seen before,” said Turlock head coach Mike Souza. “Everybody at this time of year is good. Granite Bay has beat some good, good teams. It's going to be a good game. We know we're going to have a good battle there.”
DIVISION II: Jesuit 9, Pitman 0
Pitman High, seeded No. 13 in the Division II bracket, saw its season come to a close in Carmichael on Wednesday, blanked by No. 4 Jesuit 9-0 in the opening round. The Pride’s sixth straight loss to end the season was only the fourth time in which they were held scoreless this season.
Pitching the first six innings was Sammy Kane, allowing just three hits and punching out five, Dillon Pratt handled the seventh, striking out a pair in his perfect inning to shut the door on the Pride’s season.
Pitman’s senior trio of Nolan Walker, Jackson Way and Jesse Gutierrez nabbed the team’s lone hits of the afternoon.
The Pride end their 2026 campaign with a 17-11 overall record.
DIVISION V: Hughson 6, Liberty Ranch 1
No. 11 Hughson High staged an upset in Galt, taking down No. 6 Liberty Ranch by a 6-1 score to advance to play No. 3 Sutter on Friday.
The Huskies received a dominant pitching performance from senior Isaac Lupercio, who allowed one run and struck out seven over his complete game effort.
Friday’s game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when freshman Tanner Ehlers knocked an RBI single to right field to score Zayne Costa and Logan Ramirez advanced home on an errant throw.
Senior Benji Ocegueda doubled home the third run in the fifth inning. Ocegueda later came around to score on a passed ball. Two more insurance runs were scored in the sixth off a two-run double by senior Tate Silveira.
DIVISION VI: Hilmar 11, Summerville 8
At 10-12 overall and the 11th seed in Division VI, Hilmar High pulled off one of the biggest upsets across any bracket, taking down No. 6 Summerville in Tuolumne by an 11-8 score on Wednesday.
The Yellowjackets took command early with an RBI single by sophomore Alec Machado. Senior Jacob Sward, who had missed time earlier this year with a hamstring injury, made the most of his opportunities on the basepaths, stealing home two batters later. Junior Caleb “Stuey” Contreras added a third run in the second inning with an RBI groundout.
After a two-run home run by Summerville’s Kane Hall off of senior starter Xavier Silveira, Hilmar exploded for six runs in the fifth inning. The ‘Jackets received RBI hits from Machado, Contreras, Junior Solis as well as a bases-loaded walk by Drake DeCosta and a fielder’s choice from John Lopez.
Silveira encountered trouble in the sixth inning, surrendering a three-run home run to Luke Larson and departed the mound with the bases loaded. Junior Cohen Felber came on in relief and allowed the three inherited runners to score on a double by Tyler Karpus.
In the top of the seventh, Machado drove in his third run of the game for important insurance. Felber proceeded to close the door on the Bears with a strikeout.
The Yellowjackets will be on the road again, this time heading to Grass Valley, to take on No. 3 Bear River.
DIVISION VII: Turlock Christian set to host Denair
Friday will bring a battle of two local teams in the Division VII bracket, as second-seeded Turlock Christian will face No. 7 Denair under the lights at Pedretti Park.
The 7 p.m. clash comes after the Eagles demolished No. 15 Esparto by a 28-0 score in five innings on Wednesday and the Coyotes taking down No. 10 Delta Charter (Tracy), 12-2, also in five frames.
For the Eagles, Wednesday’s game was lopsided from the jump, with TC scoring 12 runs in the first inning and its other 16 runs in the third inning. Senior Blake Starn led the way with five hits and five RBI. Senior Michael Miller and Jake Dein and junior Winston York followed with four hits apiece. York drove in five runs while Miller and Dein each plated three.
Denair’s offense was also good, with senior Brayden Hart nabbing three hits and driving in four. Junior Maddox Silva drove in another two runs on two hits. On the mound, Tommy Lundquist allowed the two earned runs on just one hit and two walks, punching out eight in the process.
