Beyer wins MMC opener against Downey with two-out rally in sixth

Beyer High School scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held on to defeat Downey 5-4 in the Modesto Metro Conference baseball opener for both teams Wednesday at Paul Cornwell Field.

“We needed some help today,” said Beyer coach Dom Duran, whose club benefited from six Downey errors. “We were lucky to win this one. (Elijah Oliver) kept us off balance all day and we were not able to make adjustments against him the second and third time through the lineup.”

In the sixth, Chris Alonzo led off with a sharp single to left, but leadoff hitter Jordan Walls hit a humpback liner into shortstop for a double play on a hit-and-run. Caleb Saalfeld then walked and junior Jack Large came up big with an opposite-field double to the wall in left that tied the score.

“I had a 3-1 count; I was looking for a fastball away and that’s what I got,” said Large, hitting a robust .545 this season. “They were throwing me curves all day – it was only the second fastball I saw – so I jumped on it.”

At first, it appeared that speedy center fielder Jakob Magaña was going to stop the ball from getting to the wall. The tying run would still have crossed home, but it would’ve kept Large at first. When the ball skipped to the wall, it allowed Large to move into scoring position.

That proved critical one batter later.

Cleanup hitter Matt Williams sent a ball that tailed away from right fielder Josh Silva, ticking off Silva’s glove and allowing Large to race home with the go-ahead run.

“I should’ve had it,” Silva said. “I knew it was hard hit, I just didn’t get around on it and the ball kept tailing.”

Williams, the Patriots’ third baseman, finished 2 for 4.

“He threw a little slider outside … it was a bad swing for the count,” said Williams, who swung at an 0-1 offering from reliever Brett Neves. “At first, I thought I was out. But I saw it tailing away and I thought, ‘I’ve got a chance.’”

Senior starter Micah Hall worked a perfect seventh to improve his record to 4-0.

Oliver, a junior left-hander, gave up a run in the third but escaped further damage by working out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam. During one stretch, Oliver induced five consecutive ground balls but his defense managed to get just one out for him.

“Obviously, you’d like to win the opener, especially when you have them on the ropes in their place,” said Downey coach Jeremy Plaa. “Maybe it was because it was our first league game. Nerves? Jitters? I don’t know, but we’ve got to be better Friday, obviously.”

The teams will meet in Game 2 of their MMC series Friday at the new Downey High School diamond.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 8:28 PM with the headline "Beyer wins MMC opener against Downey with two-out rally in sixth."