Boys large school athlete of the week

It's been quite a while since Downey team threw a scare into its Modesto Metro Conference rivals, but sophomore Bobby Schauer and the Knights have caught everyone's attention with their performance through the first round of conference play.

Schauer stunned Beyer -- The Bee's top-ranked large-school team -- by firing a four-hitter in a 4-0 victory. The win pushed Downey into a first-place tie with the Patriots, and each team has 10 more MMC games. That includes two games against each other.

It was the third start for Schauer (2-0), who went to the mound because of an injury to the regular starter. Schauer faced a tense situation early, two runners on with two out, but he retired the Patriots' No. 5 hitter on a fly ball. He retired 14 straight batters at one point, before a single in the seventh.

"We preach to contact, tossing strikes and getting 1-2 on every hitter," coach Kreg Moore, noting Schauer had 55 strikes and only 17 balls.