HUGHSON — Hughson High’s baseball team is one win away from the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 finals after an 8-2 victory over Wheatland on Monday at the Huskies’ diamond.
Hughson first baseman Carlos Guizar delivered a two-run home run and four RBIs total as the Huskies broke open a close game with four runs in the sixth.
Starter Bryce McDaniel went the distance for the Huskies to earn the victory — his second of the postseason. McDaniel gave up a solo home run on the second pitch of the game, but settled down and limited Wheatland to just four hits and one run the rest of the way. In all, the junior right-hander struck out seven and walked none.
Hughson (26-5), the No. 2 overall seed, can conclude the sweep of the best-of-three series with a win today in Wheatland with senior righty Max Mankins on the hill. A series-deciding third game, if necessary, would be played in Hughson on Thursday at 4 p.m.
In the other semifinal bracket, top-seeded Lincoln defeated No. 4 Woodland 7-5 to take a 1-0 series lead.
Guizar, who homered against Ben Holt College Prep Academy in the postseason opener last week, was 3-for-4 against the Pirates with two runs scored and four RBIs. Senior shortstop Beau Blake was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. McDaniel, Mankins, Lawson Aviles, Benji Ocegueda, Dominic Aguiar, and Isaac Lupercio each contributed a hit. McDaniel, Mankins, Aviles, and Andrew Fisher drove in the other four runs.
Guizar’s home run needed every bit of the breeze that was blowing for most of the game, as the ball hit the top of the fence in dead center and popped over.
“My mindset in the sixth was to make it as comfortable for Bryce as possible,” said Guizar. “He had been dealing the whole game and it was still close. I just wanted to make sure he was able to go back out there.”
Hughson skipper Charly Garza had Ocegueda warming up in the pen, but when the Huskies pushed the lead to six runs, McDaniel was sent back out to the mound. But according to catcher JC Lupercio, that decision was never in doubt.
“He told me, ‘I’m not coming out of this game; I’m finishing this game,’” said McDaniel’s batterymate. “After that first inning, he found his curveball, worked his two-seamer a lot, and from there it was barbecue chicken.”
