Spring notes: Stanislaus District team earns win in top NorCal baseball tourney

Sports experts say that with success comes recognition and that is just what happened for the Central Catholic baseball team.

After becoming one of three teams in California to win league, section and regional championships last season, the Raiders were invited to the 12th annual Boras Classic, a prestigious showcase that features some of the best high school teams on the West Coast. The Raiders competed in the Northern California bracket from March 25 to 28. The Southern California tournament is April 2 to 5. There are also games in Arizona and Texas.

The invitation means Central Catholic was pointed out as one of the best baseball programs in Northern California. The Raiders returned all three pitchers in Fresno State signee Adrian Garcia, Clemson signee TP Wentwroth and Menlo College signee Wesley Payne, along with several key position players. They played all week in the Sacramento-area event named after longtime baseball scout Scott Boras, an Elk Grove High graduate.

“It’s been one of the best tournaments in the country,” Central Catholic coach Danny Ayala said after the Raiders’ first game of the season March 8. “If you look at all of the top teams, they’re section finalists, section champions. It really is the best of the best.”

The Raiders played Palo Alto of the Central Coast Section and reigning Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finalist Whitney on the first day of the invite-only showcase. They earned their first Boras Classic win Wednesday, beating Bakersfield Christian 2-1. Seth Van Dyk and Trace Hernandez each drove in a run and Garcia struck out six batters to earn the win.

“For us as a program to be invited is just a huge accomplishment,” Ayala said. “It’s the first time for us, but in our section, there’s not a lot of teams that get in.

“As a program, we’re continuing to strive to be better each year. We still have a lot to prove, but we’re on the right track.”

Central Catholic returns from the classic to the competitive Valley Oak League. They dropped their first series to Oakdale, 2-1, but a chance at a third straight league title is still the team’s goal. The Raiders play Sierra in their next league series, starting April 8.

Turlock takes baseball season series over Gregori

Turlock got out to a fast start in CCAL play, nearly shutting out Gregori in the opening game of a three-game series Monday afternoon at home. The Bulldogs picked up an 8-1 win led by an impressive pitching performance by Carson Gonzales. The senior pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and striking out eight Jaguars. Gregori scored its only run in the top of the seventh inning.

The Bulldogs finished the series sweep Wednesday and Thursday, winning in Modesto, 18-8 and in Turlock with a 2-1 extra-innings win.

“If you take two out of three games in every series, you’re going to end up winning league,” Gonzales said of the importance of winning a three-game series in the CCAL.

TVL’s top baseball teams go to extras

Escalon and Hughson entered the week as the TVL’s top baseball teams, each boasting 4-0 league records, making an their rivalry more competitive. Hughson has one of the most productive offenses in the area, scoring more than 10 runs in six games, but starting pitcher Greg Adams and the Cougars defense held the Huskies to just three runs in the second matchup of the series.

After Hughson took the series’ first game 5-1, Escalon bounced back with a 4-3 road win in eight innings to even the series at one game apiece.

Escalon Sophomore Logan Huebner went 3-for-3 with two RBI. He drove in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning.

Enochs baseball takes season series from Pitman

University of San Francisco signee Kannon Sharpe got Enochs off to a hot start in their first CCAL series against Pitman. Sharpe led the Eagles to a 10-1 Game 1 win with 10 strikeouts and allowed seven hits with just one earned run in six innings pitched. Offensively, three players recorded a double, three had two RBI and six players recorded at least one hit. The Eagles secured the series win with a 5-2 win two days later.

Pitman took the final game of the series Thursday with an 8-2 win.

Central Catholic softball begins league title defense

Things have looked different for the Central Catholic softball team to start the season. After being led for the past two seasons by pitcher and two-time Bee Player of the Year Randi Roelling, who is the best pitcher on a nationally ranked Cal team, the Raiders will have to win games in different ways.

Central Catholic is a back-to-back defending VOL Champion, Division III section finalist and a defending Division III NorCal champion.

“We’re not going to have 17 strikeouts a game, so we’re going to have to play catch and hit,” Central Catholic head coach Sam Nichols said after the league opener against Kimball. “We’re very athletic and we can hit. … This year, we have more hits, which is good, but timely hits is what’s going to win ball games.”

The Raiders are 10-3, with a 1-1 start to Valley Oak League play. MaxPreps has Central Catholic ranked the No. 1 team in the Sac-Joaquin Section. To start league play, the Raiders took on two top 25 teams, beating No. 18 Kimball of Tracy 9-6 Tuesday and falling to Manteca, the No. 11 Sac-Joaquin Section team, 1-0 Thursday.

In the league opener, the Raiders got timely hits in the third and sixth innings with the game tied. Knotted up at 3-3, junior Taryn Calderon drove in Brooklyn Nicholls on a sacrifice fly to center field. In the fifth, freshman Ceriah Fitzhugh drove in a pair with the bases loaded to turn a 6-6 tie into an 8-6 lead. Senior Emori Machado drove in the Raiders final run in the next at bat.

They gave up just one first-inning run Thursday against Manteca that ended up being the deciding factor in the game.

“I like the grit and competitiveness of our team,” Nichols said. “They want to win. I love the way they compete every day … and they allow the coaches to coach them hard to get better.”

Ripon softball searching for third straight TVL title

The Ripon High softball team began its quest for a third straight TVL title Thursday with a shutout win over Hughson. San Francisco State-bound Kharime Caratachea pitched all seven innings, allowed just four hits and struck out 15 batters, her seventh outing with 10 or more strikeouts this season. Jaycee Wilmshurst, Addyson Wilmshurst, Caratachea and Izabelle Spurzem each drove in a run in the 7-0 win.

Downey baseball takes season series from Modesto

The Knights put up 29 runs in the three-game series sweep of Modesto High this week. They allowed six runs in the first contest but earned shutouts in the final two to get back on the winning track after dropping six straight games. Jaxen Rowland finished the week with four hits, three doubles and scored four runs. Downey opens up the week in the Oakdale tournament against Las Plumas.

Gregori softball ace one of California’s best

Gregori’s Kailey Estes was one of the state’s strikeout leaders last season as a junior and so far during her senior season, she hasn’t let up. The right-hander ranks 14th in California with 114 strikeouts and is 10th in the state in wins (10) according to MaxPreps. A Concordia University-Irvine signee, she has led the Jaguars to a 12-3 record and a 6-0 CCAL start. The Jaguars’ next CCAL contest is a matchup against 2023 league champion Enochs. Gregori won the first matchup, 7-0.