Roundup: Ripon baseball in three-way tie for TVL lead after run rule win over Hughson
The Ripon High baseball team knew it was going into Wednesday’s Trans-Valley League game against Hughson needing a good performance.
The Indians (14-10, 7-2 TVL) entered the game in fourth place with the Huskies (17-7, 7-2 TVL) controlling the league’s top spot. In five innings, the outlook on the TVL changed.
The host Indians broke the game open in the third inning, scoring five runs en route to an 11-1 run rule win, setting up a three-way tie for the league’s top spot heading into the regular season’s final week and a half.
“It’s a huge win,” Ripon coach Bobby Swedberg said. “Our season is four games starting today and we got one. Our job is not done by any means whatsoever. That’s a good team over there. They’re going to come back and compete.”
Sophomore pitcher Dawson Downs went the full five innings, allowing six hits, no earned runs and struck out three batters. The Ripon defense made plays all across the field behind him, turning inning-ending double plays on the infield and tracking the ball for fly-ball outs in the outfield.
Hughson’s only run came in the top of the fifth inning.
“(Downs) threw strikes,” Swedberg said. “Even when he didn’t have some of his best stuff, he was able to get ground balls. He made them swing, he put balls in play and allowed our defense to make plays behind him. That’s huge … you’ve got to trust your defense.”
Ripon scored 10 or more runs against a TVL opponent for the sixth time this season. Downs led the team with two RBIs but they got production from nearly everyone in their lineup as six other players drove in one run each.
“We scored a few runs with two outs today and that’s always huge,” Swedberg said. “It keeps momentum going throughout the game. If you’re going to accumulate 10 runs, you gotta get runs with two outs.”
The Indians will see Hughson again on Friday on the road in another pivotal game for league standings. They they will play fourth-place Hilmar in their final league series next week. The TVL’s top three teams could look different heading into playoffs.
“(Hughson has) got their ace throwing on Friday, so we’ve got to go back to work, show up and ready to compete again on Friday, and it’s not gonna be easy.” Swedberg said. “Between Hughson and Hilmar I think getting that first win, getting some momentum going, and having a solid practice keeps things going. We look forward to Friday and hopefully continuing the momentum.”
Downey 7, Modesto 0: The Knights (17-10, 7-7 CCAL) shut out the Panthers (5-16-2, 0-14 CCAL) on senior day as they look to climb into the playoff picture with one final league game on Friday at Modesto High.
Turlock 7, Gregori 6: The Bulldogs (19-8, 11-3 CCAL) remain tied with Pitman for first in the Central California Athletic League with Wednesday’s narrow win over Gregori. The two teams will play once more on Friday in the final game of the series.
Livingston 12, Modesto Christian 0: The Crusaders (0-9, 0-9 TVL) lost their ninth straight on Wednesday. They play one more game against Livingston before finishing the season with a two-game series with Escalon.
El Capitan 2, Patterson 0: The Tigers (8-11, 2-7 CCC) couldn’t bring a run home on the road in a Central California Conference matchup with the Gauchos. El Capitan’s Andrew Bakken went the distance, striking out 14 batters and allowing two hits.
Pitman 15, Enochs 12: There was no shortage of runs scored in Wednesday’s CCAL matchup. The first-place Pride (19-5-1, 11-3 CCAL) scored three runs in the top of the seventh and held Enochs scoreless in the bottom half to secure the victory.
Big Valley Christian 28, Elliot Christian 7: The Lions (6-13, 4-3 CCAA) exploded for 12 runs in the top of the sixth inning in Wednesday’s blowout win on the road against Elliot Christian. They bounced back strong from last week’s 0-4 showing in the Dick Windemuth Tournament.
Softball
Beyer 25, Lathrop 0: A 12-run fourth inning powered the Patriots (9-8-2, 7-3 WAC) to a dominant Western Athletic Conference win. Beyer’s pitchers struck out 13 batters and allowed just one hit.
Pacheco 13, Davis 12: The Spartans (7-9, 3-7 WAC) scored nine runs in the first two innings, but couldn’t bring a run home in the middle innings. After bringing one run home in the top of the seventh, they led by four but Pacheco rallied in the bottom half, scoring five runs to win the game.
Orestimba 9, Le Grand 1: Jacquelyn Lujan struck out 15 as the Warriors (15-6, 9-0 SAL) returned to Southern Athletic League play by beating Le Grand on the road. They will have a week of practice before taking on Waterford on May 4.
Central Catholic 5, Manteca 0: The Raiders (19-3-1, 7-1 VOL) scored two runs in the third and fifth innings of their second Valley Oak League matchup with Manteca. Central Catholic remains in second place in the league.
Waterford 14, Ripon Christian 13: Madden Hill and Hannah Bibbins led the Wildcats (3-10, 3-6 SAL) with three RBIs in a comeback win. Ripon Christian went ahead by six after putting up two runs in the top half of the last inning, but Waterford scored seven in the bottom half to win in walk-off fashion.
Ceres 14, Johansen 1: Brooklyn Heffernan struck out eight batters and allowed just one run in Wednesday’s win. Ceres (15-8, 8-2 WAC) had a big third inning, scoring seven runs en route to the five-inning win.
Oakdale 22, Weston Ranch 0: The Mustangs (21-1-1, 8-0 VOL) scored nine runs in the first inning and four in the third, fourth and fifth innings en route to a blowout of the Cougars. Kylie Valentine finished with a game-high five RBIs. Katy Thomasson finished with 11 strikeouts and three RBIs. Avery Brown and Delainey Everett each hit one home run.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 10:58 AM.
