The El Capitan High baseball team received another strong pitching performance to earn their second victory over Atwater this week and the Gauchos have an opportunity to separate themselves from the rest of the Central California Conference with another win on Friday night.

 

Benny Centeno went the distance on the mound for El Capitan (8-3 overall, 5-0 CCC), giving up just one run in a 4-1 victory over the Falcons (8-4-1, 3-2 CCC) on Wednesday afternoon at El Capitan High. The senior right-hander stuck out five and was able to pitch around the seven hits and three walks he surrendered. 

“Benny was effective because his pitches have a lot of life and movement, which makes it difficult for hitters to square him up,” said El Capitan coach Aaron Ruiz. “He’s able to mix different types of movement consistently, keeping hitters off balance throughout the game. Even with runners on base, he stays composed and confident. His experience in those situations allows him to remain calm under pressure, so traffic on the bases doesn’t disrupt his approach or effectiveness.”

 

Atwater right-hander Logan Sanchez also threw well, tossing a complete game with nine strikeouts. However, the Gauchos find a way to scratch out four runs with opportune hitting. Aidan Witt, Matt McQuillen and Angel Rivera all drove in runs for El Capitan.

 

Both teams put up a run in the first inning as the Falcons strung together a two-out rally with Vinny Valladao driving in Mathias Cole with a single to give Atwater a 1-0 lead. The Gauchos answered back as Cooper Gaoiran doubled to lead off the bottom of the inning and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Rivera.

The Gauchos took the lead with a two-run third inning as Witt tripled to lead off the inning. Rivera came up next and was hit by a pitch. Rivera then stole second and Witt took off for home on the throw to second for a successful double steal and a 2-1 lead. McQuillen then drove in Rivera with a single to extend the lead to 3-1. 

 

Witt drove in a run in the fifth inning to give the Gauchos a 4-1 lead. The lead was more than enough for Centeno and an El Capitan defense that forces other teams to beat them. The Gauchos have jumped out to a 5-0 record in the CCC by making almost all the plays behind their pitchers. 

“Defense and pitching are huge keys to our success,” Ruiz said. “Our guys take pride in doing the little things right, and that starts with competing every day in practice. We may not be a big home run–hitting team, but we focus on making routine plays, throwing strikes, and staying fundamentally sound. When you consistently pitch well and play solid defense, you give yourself a chance to win every game.”

 

The Gauchos will travel to Atwater on Friday for a 7 p.m. game at Memorial with an opportunity for a three-game sweep that can give the Falcons some breathing room atop the conference as they attempt to win their fifth CCC championship in a row. “We don’t get caught up in the big picture — we focus on taking it one game at a time and staying locked in on the task at hand,” Ruiz said. “Right now, that means focusing on Friday. Our approach doesn’t change — we’re going to keep doing the routine things well and trust what’s gotten us to this point.”

Buhach Colony 7, Golden Valley 1 – Chase Sanderson finished one out shy of a complete game to pick up the win and Ethan Quintana drove in two runs as the Thunder picked up their second win this week against the Cougars to improve to 5-6 overall and 2-3 in the CCC. Sanderson struck out five and gave up three hits and four walks. Dylan Newkirk picked up two hits, scored a run and drove in a run for the Thunder.

 

Los Banos 6, Merced 5 – The Tigers scored one run in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off victory over the Bears on Wednesday. Connor Vitelli collected two hits and drove in three runs for Merced. Michael Whalen-Flores added two hits and two runs and Luis Pineda had a hit, two runs scored and three stolen bases for the Bears.

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.