Turlock baseball takes sole possession of CCAL top spot with series win over Downey
The Turlock baseball team got its first taste of adversity in Central California Athletic League play Monday, dropping the series opener on the road to Downey, 5-3. From then on, it was about how they would bounce back.
The Bulldogs (12-7, 5-1) knew they had to regroup quickly. They still had two games left to finish out the series that could have a say in who is crowned the league champion at the end of the regular season.
“After Monday where we had a loss, we had to really come back to practice and just work hard to get the next games in the series,” said senior Mason Baker.
They rebounded two days later, shutting out the Knights (9-10, 4-2) 4-0, tying the series, giving each team a 4-1 CCAL record and setting up a must-win Game 3 to take control of the series and claim the league’s top spot.
The Bulldogs never trailed Friday. Three runs in the second inning was all Turlock needed to seal the series win and claim back-to-back wins, beating Downey 3-2.
“We’ve been working on team bonding,” Turlock coach Mike Souza said. “The last two wins were big for us, building that chemistry within the dugout. Game 2 was a big win, they got dudes and we got dudes and it was just who can make less mistakes.”
Leadoff hitter Carter Crivelli and catcher Owen Miller each drove in a run for the Bulldogs. Six hitters produced the team’s eight hits and they did not commit an error.
The Bulldogs put on a defensive masterclass. Middle infielders turned double plays and connected with outfielders for perfectly timed relays to keep Downey baserunners at bay.
Shortstop Josh Ramirez had his hand in a pair of key double plays for the Bulldogs. With two Knights on in the first inning, he comfortably fielded a ground ball and flipped it to Mateo Valencia who fired it to Tyler Castro at first. Baker, who got the start Friday, struck out the next batter, stranding a runner on third and keeping Downey off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the sixth, the junior middle infielders switched roles, turning two in a Valencia-to-Ramirez-to-Castro double play to get Turlock out of the inning grasping onto its one-run lead.
Ramirez is one of the Stanislaus District’s best infielders. He earned All-District second team honors as a sophomore last season and worked hard to improve over the offseason. He says the key to being a good fielder comes down to anticipation and confidence.
“Pre-pitch, I’m always thinking of what I’m going to do if (the ball) is hit to me. I’m always prepared for whatever’s happening,” he said. “I always have confidence and I always want the ball.”
Baker had the biggest defensive play of the game. After pitching 4.1 innings, he moved to left field where it was relatively quiet until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Knights had a runner on second base with two outs when Baker fielded a single bouncing on the outfield grass and fired a line drive to catcher Owen Miller for the game-ending tagout at home plate.
“I was just telling myself if I get the ball, make sure I stay in front of it, field it and just let it fly,” Baker said. “I saw the ball go over Bubba’s head at third base and I saw (the runner) rounding third and decided to unleash it and it was a good throw.”
Before the series started, Downey coach Justin Schwitters told his team it could come down to three innings. He was right.
The Knights put up four runs in the third inning of Game 1, powering them to a 5-3 win. Turlock came back and won the next two contests, earning the series win. Errors in the second innings of both games cost Downey. Turlock capitalized, scoring three runs in each Game 2 and 3. Wednesday, the Bulldogs scored once more in a 4-0 win. Friday, the three runs were all they needed to secure the win.
Downey put runners in scoring position in six of the seven innings, but could only bring home a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Andre Mendoza scored on a pitch that got past the Turlock catcher and Colin Nilsson drove in Aiden Larson.
“They took advantage of the mistakes,” Schwitters said. “We made very, very few of them and every time we did, they took advantage. … We had chances to score and they did a good job pitching out of it.”
Both teams continue CCAL play next week. Turlock plays Enochs, traveling to Modesto Monday and Friday and hosting the Eagles Wednesday. Downey visits Pitman Monday and Friday and hosts the Pride next Wednesday.
