The sting of loss felt by both Turlock and Pitman High baseball teams in the second day of the Pedretti Tournament was quickly forgotten on Saturday, as each local team toppled their respective opponent to end with a win and 2-1 overall record.
Turlock secured its fourth win of the season after a strong performance from starting pitcher Marcus Lopez, who pitched a complete game, struck out six and allowed only two earned runs en route to a 3-2 win over Modesto High.
“He [Marcus] did a great job of changing location when he did, he pitched well, best game of the year so far without a doubt,” said Turlock head coach Mark de la Motte of Lopez.
Across town, Pitman junior Matt Carrigg tossed a complete game shutout as the Pride 10-run ruled Sonora High after a nine-run first inning that was capped off by a two-run second to edge out the Wildcats, 11-0.
“In the first inning our hitters were ready from the start and were hitting the ball around pretty good,” said Pitman head coach John Acha. “Our guys jumped on the other guy's fastball and were more aggressive and it paid off.”
“I was feeling good, just throwing strikes, had my fastball going and trusted my coaches with the calls and trusted my catcher behind the plate and the defense played great behind me,” Carrigg said.
After taking an 11-0 lead by the end of the second inning, Carrigg was lights out and allowed only two hits after facing 20 batters, struck out seven and walked two in his first official start of the year.
The Pride bats were red hot, with five players finishing the game with multiple hits.
Carrigg, Colton Evans, Dylan Roberts, Zach Wichman and Coleton Horner each ended the game with two hits apiece behind a Pride offense that has scored 11 or more runs in three of their last four games. The Pride have won four out of their last five games heading into league play.
“We showed up early and hit a bit extra, really we're able to work on some fine tuned details and work on some things since everyone seemed ready and committed,” Acha said.
Sonora's pitching had a tough time dealing with the deep lineup, especially since the Wildcats used three different pitchers in only four innings.
“They jumped on the guys fastball and were more aggressive and it paid off,” Acha added.
Turlock found themselves in a different situation at home as the Panthers fought hard till the end and nearly tied the game after scoring two runs in the fifth inning.
Turlock starter Lopez was able to edge out the opposition and get out of a fifth inning jam and hold on to the 3-2 win after tossing two shutout innings to end the ball game.
“He got a big strikeout and then turned a double play. He kept us out of the jam, pitch count was not high, where we wanted it at this part of the season and he got the last out which is the hardest,” de la Motte said.
Brandon Booz was 3-for-3 and added two RBI for the game as the Bulldogs were held to seven hits for the game and committed errors.
Pitman will take on Golden Valley for the Central California Conference opener at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Turlock will open league with a contest against Buhach Colony at 4 p.m. Thursday.
