Moore throws shutout, hits home run to keep Downey as CCAL’s No. 2 team
There was a good idea how the Central California Athletic League standings would play out. Until Downey started winning.
It was going to be Turlock and Gregori in the top two spots with Pitman, Enochs and the Knights fighting for the final playoff spot, followed by Modesto High.
But the Knights had other plans. They won seven of their first 10 league games with four wins in their last five outings.
Last week, Downey took two of three games from Enochs, winning the series, securing third place and setting itself up to really shake up the league standings against Gregori.
A dominant 12-4 win Monday on the road against the Jaguars, who spent most of the season slotted at second in the league, did just that. It evened the two sided at 7-3 against league opponents but propelled the Knights into second place in the standings. It set up a must-win Wednesday road game for Gregori if it wanted to even the season series and stay in the running for the league’s second-place spot.
Wednesday, for Downey, was more of the same. After an impressive 5-0 shutout win, the Knights (10-10, 8-3 CCAL) are in sole possession of the league’s second-place spot with just four league games left.
Ryne Moore said he doesn’t know what sport he wants to play in college. Could be football, could be baseball. He’s leaning toward football, though.
“I like football more,” the linebacker/pitcher/third baseman said.
But before he steps foot on a college field, he hopes to lead the Knights as their ace and one of the team’s most experienced players.
Wednesday, he gave up just three hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out seven Jaguars (14-5, 7-4 CCAL) in a complete game shutout. Offensively, he hit a two-run home run as part of a three-run Downey first inning that gave the Knights momentum for the rest of the game.
“This week, we knew coming into it, you had to step up and compete every single inning this series,” Moore said. “That’s what we’ve done so far and hopefully that continues.”
While others thought Moore might not be able to play baseball this year, he said missing time on the diamond was not an option.
A standout on the gridiron, Moore injured his MCL twice this season. The first time, he partially tore it against Merced, causing him to miss five games. He injured it again in the 44-41 playoff win over Edison, forcing him to sit out the second-round game against Folsom.
After spending the first few years of his high school career as a three-sport athlete, he did not play basketball this year to work with coach Scott Sacuskie to rehab his knee for baseball season.
He was ready for opening day. “I wanted to play baseball,” he said.
After their three-run first inning Wednesday, the Knights scored once in the second and fourth innings to extend their lead. They tallied 12 hits as a team and did not commit an error. Julian Masani and Jayceon Sloan each finished with two doubles. Every player in the Knights’ lineup recorded at least one hit, led by Sloan (3) and Masani (2). Masani added two RBI and Daley Holmes drove in a run.
Moore, the Knights’ regular Wednesday starter, says he wasn’t worried that the chance to secure second place fell on his day to pitch. “I was just trying to compete and throw more than one pitch for a strike,” he said. “But at the end of the day, have fun and compete with your teammates.”
While they are taking it one game at a time, the chance to fully shift the balance of power in the league comes in the final week of the regular season.
Downey’s final three games of the regular season are against current league leader Turlock. After playing in the Oakdale Tournament next week, the Knights and Bulldogs play a three-game series from April 28 to May 2 with a chance to make it a co-league title.
“It’s going to be difficult playing those guys,” Moore said when asked about the season ending series. “It always is.”
Baseball
Oakdale 14, East Union 3: East Union took a one-run lead then Oakdale’s offense woke up. Griffin Costa hit a home run then with one out, Landon Schutte and Bas Stice homered on back-to-back pitches as part of a five-run fifth inning. The Mustangs added eight more in the top of the sixth to take home their 12th VOL win.
Escalon 8, Ripon 1: Dylan Ball hit a triple, Brody Abbott and Ian Burk drove in three runs apiece and Abbott struck out eight on the mound as Escalon took Game 1 of the two-game set with Ripon. Both teams finished with 10 hits.
Patterson 10, Sierra 7: Four runs in the first inning helped power Patterson to the series win over Sierra Wednesday. They look to complete the sweep Thursday at 4 p.m.
Hilmar 7, Hughson 6: Hilmar handed Hughson its first TVL loss this season in Wednesday’s thriller. Hilmar took a 7-4 lead into the seventh inning and stopped the Huskies’ comeback short, allowing just two runs. The two sides play the final game of the series Thursday.
Ripon Christian 11, Orestimba 1: Two Knights doubled and five finished with at least one RBI as Ripon Christian earned its third TVL win. The Knights held Orestimba scoreless for the first four innings before giving up a run in the last inning of the five-inning game.
Central Catholic 11, Mountain House 1: Broden Thomas drove in four runs and Chase Perino added three RBI to lead the Raiders to a five-inning win over the Mustangs. Joe Farinha and Will Magni combined on the mound to lead Central Catholic to the victory and remain in first place.
Turlock 5, Pitman 2: Turlock won the crosstown rivalry series against Pitman thanks in large part to great pitching from Andrew Sevilla. He gave up just two first-inning runs then shut out the Pride the rest of the game. He finished with six strikeouts and combined with solid defense behind him to only give up four hits.
Enochs 10, Modesto 0: Parker Johnson pitched the full five innings, striking out seven of the 18 batters he faced. Six Eagles drove in runs and two doubled as Enochs secured the series win over Modesto.
Softball
Orestimba 11, Turlock 1: Lily Rocha hit a home run, doubled and drove in five runs as part of a three-hit game to lead the Warriors past Turlock. Sam Mendoza pitched all six innings and struck out eight. For the Bulldogs, freshman Audrey Bailey hit a pair of doubles and drove in the only run.
Hughson 15, Gregori 9: Four Huskies doubles highlighted a dominant offensive day, leading to a six-run win. Hughson produced 15 total hits. Abigail Collins (3), Kylie Tangeny (2) and Madison Collins (2) each drove in multiple runs. Freshman Emma Carne earned the win and struck out six. Five Gregori players doubled as part of a 13-hit day and Audrey Pacheco drove in a team high two runs. Each Jaguar recorded at least one hit and seven finished with at least one RBI.
Ceres 17, Davis 0: Bella Bravo hit a home run and drove in three runs and Ava Montesdeoca led the team with three hits, leading the Bulldogs to their 10th WAC win. Four players finished with a double and five had at least two RBI. Ailzae Cole struck out eight and allowed just two hits in five innings.
Beyer 12, Pacheco 2: Beyer started the game with an eight-run first inning and never looked back, beating Pacheco by 10 runs in five innings. It is the Patriots’ 10th WAC win on the season and with a 10-1 record, they are tied with Livingston for the league lead.
Central Valley 22, Johansen 1: Gabriela Delatorre drove in four, Reylena Herrera led a group of three with three RBI and Abigail Krauss and two others drove in a pair of runs as Central Valley was dominant in Wednesday’s win. The Hawks scored 16 second-inning runs to break a 1-1 first inning tie.
Denair 23, Modesto Christian 0: Braelyn Marroquin finished with five RBI as Denair shut out Modesto Christian in Wednesday’s win. Makayla Dayton and Havyn Boucher combined for 11 strikeouts in the circle.
Summerville 12, Riverbank 11: Riverbank took a 7-1 lead after the second inning but Summerville slowly crept back into the lead. Trailing 12-8 after the top half of the sixth inning, Riverbank could only produce three runs and fell in the home MLL thriller.
