The Junior Balers of Hollister won all three games last weekend
and took first place in the 12-year-old division in the TPR
Baseball Easter Tournament in Modesto.
MODESTO
The Junior Balers of Hollister won all three games last weekend and took first place in the 12-year-old division in the TPR Baseball Easter Tournament in Modesto.
Coached by CR Gonzales, Jose Rodriguez and Anthony Sotelo, the Junior Balers won their first game against the Bay Valley Bombers 11-5, defeated the Hard 90 Phenom Blue 19-0, then edged the BAT Lumberjacks 3-2 in the championship final.
The championship game was an extra-inning affair as well.
The Junior Balers quickly took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, a score that would hold until the third inning when the BAT Lumberjacks plated two runs of their own.
Starting pitcher Adam Gonzales lasted 3.1 innings and gave up two earned runs. He struck out five and allowed one walk, earning a no-decision. Andrew Sotelo came in for relief in the fourth inning and pitched 2.2 innings and allowed no runs while striking out six and walking one.
The game was forced to go into extra innings and Jose Rodriguez (1-0 and a 0.00 ERA) came into pitch the top of the seventh. Rodriguez allowed no earned runs while striking out two, and ultimately earned the win.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rodriguez led off with a single up the middle and Tyler Biersdorff walked. The next two batters for Hollister flied out to deep center field, however, and the Lumberjacks opted to intentionally walk Macen Schwehr as a result to load the bases. But with two outs, David Werolin (BA .400) managed to hit a slow roller to third base and Hollister walked off with a one-run victory.
The Junior Balers also featured the outstanding defensive plays of Sage Valenzuela (one putout and two assists).
Against the Bay Valley Bombers, starting pitcher Andrew Sotelo, who was 1-0 for the weekend with a 0.00 ERA, pitched three innings and didn’t allow any earned runs. He struck out six and walked only one batter to earn the win, while Macen Schwehr (0.00 ERA for the weekend) pitched two shutout innings to earn the save.
Leading batters were Sotelo, who boasted a .750 batting average for the weekend with two homers and eight RBI; Vincent Parker, who added one home run and eight RBI to go along with a .444 batting average; and Jackson Starke, who also connected on a home run and knocked in two runs with a .667 batting average.
The second game against the Hard 90 Phenom Blue was no match for the Junior Balers as well, as Hollister won the game 19-0. Adam Gonzales (1-0 with a 2.77 ERA for the weekend) started the game and tossed one inning of shutout baseball, while Daniel Hopkins and Devid Werolin both pitched an inning of shutout baseball as well.
Top hitters were Macen Schwehr (.714 batting average with three RBI), Jose Rodriguez (.556 bating average with three RBI), Tyler Biersdorff (.500 batting average with three RBI and one home run), Adam Gonzales (.143 batting average with two runs scored) and Daniel Hopkins (.286 batting average with two runs scored).
The win over the Hard 90 Phenom Blue positioned the Junior Balers as the top team in Pool A, and gave them a berth into the championship game.
