Modesto looks to clinch outright MMC baseball title, while Beyer seeks a share.

The Modesto High baseball team is one win away from putting a crimson bow on the greatest regular season in program history.

The Panthers (14-3, 20-6) look to complete a sweep of Beyer (13-4, 17-9) on Friday afternoon at Streeter Field and close the regular season as the outright Modesto Metro Conference champions.

First pitch is 3:45 p.m.

Modesto shook off its struggles in last week's series with Enochs, to whom it dropped two of three, and clinched at least a share of the league title with back-to-back victories over the Patriots.

The Panthers clubbed Beyer in Monday's opener, 10-0, and then celebrated its first league title under 13th-year coach Daryl Galloway with Wednesday's 5-2 triumph.

Modesto's last league title came in 1989.

Senior Tyler Shafer pitched into the seventh, outdueling San Jose State-bound ace Ben Polack. Shafer gave up one run on five hits, struck out three and walked three before turning the ball over to closer Evan Klump, who worked out of a jam for the save.

Shafer is now 7-2 with a 1.14 ERA.

Adam Perez drove in two runs, Carlos Castillo and RJ Berumen (double) had an RBI apiece, and Trent Prokes scored twice for the Panthers, who also locked up the MMC's No. 1 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament.

Polack helped his own cause, going 2 for 3 with a run. TJ Wheeler and Austin Schott doubled for the Patriots, while Wheeler was credited with an RBI.

Brady Cardozo also plated a run in the seventh.

Beyer, an established Division I south section power, still has plenty to play for.

Though it has lost the series, a victory on Friday will grant Dom Duran's team a share of its third league title in four seasons.

Beyer hasn't lost three straight games all season, and history suggests the Panthers could be in serious trouble.

The Patriots have lost two in a row twice this season, and in the following game have averaged 15 runs. They blanked Johansen 12-0 on March 12, and then won a slugfest with Gregori 18-16 on March 29.

This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Modesto looks to clinch outright MMC baseball title, while Beyer seeks a share.."