Beyer picks up first-round bye in baseball playoffs
As it turned out, there was more than a No. 1 seed on the line in Wednesday’s baseball game between Beyer and Gregori.
Beyer’s 2-0 win, anchored by Micah Hall’s shutout, resulted in two rewards for the Patriots: 1. The top postseason seed from the Modesto Metro Conference and 2. A first-round bye in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs starting next week.
Beyer (20-6), the co-MMC champ with Gregori, will be the home team next Thursday against the winner of Merced and Lincoln of Stockton. Gregori (19-6, 11-1) begins on Monday at home against 10th-seeded Lodi.
“We knew what was at stake. They beat us,” Gregori coach Rob Steves said in reference to the loss to Beyer. “We did win 17 in a row, and we’ll be ready against a good Lodi team from a tough league.”
Such were the spoils as the section announced the baseball and softball brackets in all divisions Thursday afternoon.
Pitman (22-5), which overtook Turlock and earned its first Central California Conference title, also picked up one of the three first-round byes in D-1. The Pride awaits the Lodi-Gregori winner. Turlock (17-9) will entertain No. 9 seed Bear Creek on Monday.
Valley Oak League champion Sierra (18-5-1) will enjoy a first-round bye in Division III before it meets the River City-El Camino winner on Thursday, May 14. Oakdale, which finished one game behind the Timberwolves, will be the host team on Monday against Yuba City.
Third-place Central Catholic, which tied for third with Manteca, travels to Rio Americano. Manteca, the 2014 Division IV champion, buses to River Valley.
Ceres, the Western Athletic Conference champion the past two seasons, is seeded third in Division IV and will match up against Galt next Thursday at Lodi’s Tony Zupo Field.
Hughson (17-2, 14-1) separated itself from the rest of the Trans-Valley League pack by five games this season. The Huskies’ reward is a Division V bye, a No. 1 seed and a meeting against the Marysville/Linden winner next Thursday.
Escalon and Ripon tied for second in the TVL, but Escalon took two of three from the Indians. That means Ripon will host an outbracket game on Monday against Lindhurst while Escalon takes on Dixon on Wednesday night at Stockton’s Billy Hebert Field.
Summerville, the Mother Lode League champion, is seeded second in D-V and will meet the Ripon/Lindhurst winner.
Mariposa won the Southern League title and earned a No. 2 seed in Division VI. It opens on Wednesday against the winner of San Juan and Forest Lake Christian. Ripon Christian, the runner-up in the Southern, goes against Vacaville Christian.
Softball
Enochs (17-7, 11-1) won its last eight games, none more important than its 3-2 win over Gregori on Monday to seal the MMC title. The Eagles, seeded fourth, meet No. 13 seed Franklin of Elk Grove next Thursday in the first round of the Division I tournament at the Sacramento Softball Complex.
Gregori (17-6, 10-2) advances in Division II as a No. 8 seed against Del Oro on Wednesday. Downey is an underdog against No. 1 seed Benicia in Division II. The division pairings were enrollment-driven for the first time, which caused some of the leagues to send their teams into different divisions.
Merced (20-6) won the CCC title and will open against Rodriguez. Pitman, the runner-up in the CCC, is seeded fifth in Division I and opens against Nevada Union.
East Union (24-2) secured the Valley Oak League title with a 7-6 win in nine innings over the Mustangs on Tuesday. That was a sweet win for the Lancers after they were beaten by Oakdale in the Division IV finals a year ago. East Union, seeded No. 2 in D-III behind Pioneer (Pioneer defeated EU), meets American Canyon on Tuesday. Fifth-seeded Oakdale begins against Cordova, while No. 8 seed Manteca faces Christian Brothers.
Ceres and Pacheco finished 10-2 and shared the Western Athletic Conference. The race was tight. Pacheco senior Gia Rodoni struck out 20 in a 1-0 nine-inning win over Ceres last week, but third-place Los Banos edged Pacheco 2-1 this week. Pacheco, a Division III entry, starts the playoffs on Tuesday against Lincoln of Lincoln. Ceres, seeded fourth, meets River Valley.
Unbeaten Hughson (18-0), the TVL champ, has won the last four Division IV titles. Between baseball and softball, the Huskies are an impressive 35-2. Hughson, the No. 1 seed in Division V, begins another title push against Marysville on Wednesday at the Arnaiz Softball Complex in Stockton. Ripon, the runner-up in the TVL, faces Calaveras.
This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Beyer picks up first-round bye in baseball playoffs."