Bounce-back doubleheader sweep for Stanislaus

The Cal State Stanislaus baseball team features louder hits, better defense and, as a result, a few more smiles this spring around Warrior Field.

The improvement was seen in Saturday’s doubleheader sweep, 5-2 and 8-2, over Cal State San Marcos. The victories mattered, of course, but there’s more – the recovery.

Stanislaus gift-wrapped the first game of the series Friday night, 12-6, to the Cougars, who plated seven runs in the ninth inning. It was a mistake-ridden baseball calamity, the kind of a loss that nukes team confidence and sprouts gray hairs on the the scalp of coach Kenny Leonesio.

“Today we could have come out and thrown it away,” senior slugger Patrick Mulry said, “or we bounce back.”

The Warriors (14-10, 7-7) opted for the latter, a favorable sign for a youngish team. It began with good performances by starters Jordan Kron and Robbie DeVries, who locked into grooves after their teammates built early-game leads.

Kron (5-3), the former East Union High star who returned closer to home after two seasons as a closer at UC Riverside, went the distance in the opener. He yielded only four hits and didn’t allow an earned run in his third straight sharp performance. His ERA dipped to 2.13, and his presence says much about Stanislaus’ progress.

“It’s a different type of atmosphere here. You can say that about any school, really. But the change was good for me,” Kron said. “It’s good the team has trust in me, and I have trust in them. It’s a big circle.”

Mulry, the team leader in home runs and RBIs, once again fueled the offense. The leadoff man totaled four hits for the day, including a triple in the opener and a home run over the manual scoreboard in right-center in the nightcap. Mulry also homered Friday night.

“We’ve got starters who can pitch and we’re just deeper this year,” said Mulry, a second-year Warrior after two solid seasons at Modesto Junior College. “Just more talent.”

DeVries lasted six innings, his longest outing of the season, and wiggled out of early jams via two double plays turned by the Stanislaus infield. A nifty catch by rightfielder Kyle Nixon – he retreated nearly to the wall – also kept the Warriors in charge. DeVries, another MJC product, kept sharp the last two summers by pitching in Saskatchewan.

“After last night, I had to throw strikes and give us a chance to win,” DeVries said. “I let the guys make plays behind me.”

Aldo Koutsoyanopulos and Nick Ippolito each drove in two runs in the nightcap for Stanislaus, which did not trail all day against San Marcos (15-16, 7-12). Most pleased about the relative lack of stress of it all was Leonesio, who likes his team’s overall direction.

Stanislaus has upgraded after it registered only four winning seasons since 2008, the last time the Warriors qualified for the postseason. The sweep helps on all fronts.

For the first time, the California Collegiate Athletic Association has split the league into two divisions, and the top three teams in each division advance. A home doubleheader Monday against eighth-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay, one of the teams Stanislaus is chasing in the North, is filled with importance.

“They responded extremely well,” Leonesio said. “We’re moving forward with this team. We think we have a chance to make a run to the playoffs.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Bounce-back doubleheader sweep for Stanislaus."