After routing the Davis Spartans 15 to 2 in Modesto on March 20, the Los Banos Tiger varsity baseball team dropped a 7-6 decision to Davis on March, 22 on the Tiger diamond.
In the Wednesday game, it was all Los Banos, as the Tigers scored in all five innings of a 10-run mercy rule victory over the Spartans.
After the first two Los Banos hitters were retired, singles by Julian Cazares (4/4 hits, 3 runs scored, 2 RBI’s), Jackson Silva (1/4 hits, 1 run scored, 1 RBI), and Eric Moncado (2/3 hits, 2 runs scored, RBI) scored the first Tiger run in the top of the first inning.
Owen Baffunno (1/2 hits, 2 runs scored) led off the top of the second with a base hit which ignited a five run Tiger second inning rally.
Baffunno was sacrificed to second base Cole Brandi (1/2 hits, 2 runs scored, SAC), who reached first base on a Spartan error.
Kolton Kanemoto (1/2 hits, SAC) then advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt.
Three consecutive Tiger hits by Fernando Ceja (1/4 hits, 2 RBI’s, run scored), Jaylon Walton ( 2/4 hits, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI’s) and Julian Cazares resulted in five runs and a 6-0 Los Banos advantage.
Los Banos blew the game wide open with a run in the third inning and seven more scores in the fourth inning.
Meanwhile Julian Cazares ( 4 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 earned run. 8 K’s) kept the Spartans off the board until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Tiger sophomore allowed his first earned run of the season when Davis collected their only three hits of the game.
Arron and Ethan Briseno each were hit with pitches to start the fifth inning and scored on an RBI single by Lucas Castro giving the Tigers a 15 to 2 lead.
Baffunno (1 inning, 0 runs, 2 K’s) relieved Cazares in the bottom of the fifth inning and closed out the game for Los Banos.
The results were not the same in the home game on Friday, as poor base running and shabby defense cost the Tigers their first WAC conference loss, 7-6 to Davis.
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when a Los Banos error led to a run against Tiger starting pitcher Jackson Silva (5 innings pitched, 2 runs, 1 earned, 6 K’s) and a 1-0 lead for the Spartans.
Los Banos took the lead right back in the bottom of the fourth, when back-to-back doubles by Julian Cazares (1/4 hits, 2 RBI’s, 2 runs scored) and Silva (1/4 hits, 1 RBI, 1 run scored) scored the first Tiger run. Silva then scored the second run of the game for the Tigers on a Spartan throwing error, making the score 2-1 in favor of the locals.
Davis scored their second run in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 2-2.
The Tigers scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to regain the lead, with four consecutive hits, the first by Fernando Ceja (1/3 hits, 1 run scored), then Jaylon Walton (2/4 hits, 2 runs scored). Julian Cazares (1/4 hits, 1 run scored, 1 RBI), Jackson Silva (1/4 hits, 1 run scored, 2 RBI’s) and Jon Camarillo (1/3 hits, 1 RBI).
Noah Cardenas (1 inning pitched, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned) replaced Silva on the mound for the Tigers in the sixth inning and surrendered a run on 2 hits, to close the gap for Davis to 4-3. Cardenas began pitching the seventh inning, and the first Spartan batter was safe on the first of three Tiger errors in the frame.
Jaylon Walton ( L, 1 inning pitched, 3 runs, 0 earned, 2 hits, BB) then took the mound for Los Banos, and was betrayed by his defense. Davis collected two hits and the Tigers committed two errors to score four Spartan runs and they took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Base hits by Kolton Kanemoto (1/3 hits, 1 run scored) and Jaylen Walton and an RBI single by Cazares plated two Tiger runs. However, Cazares was thrown out on the bases and Silva flew out to end the game with the Spartans claiming the 7-6 victory.
