Enochs keeps playoff hopes alive with CCAL series Game 1 win over Gregori
Caden Reeve doesn’t want his high school career to end without a trip to the 2025 Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoffs.
The senior and his Enochs team continued their playoff push Monday with their backs against the wall in a must-win home game against Gregori to open a three-game Central California Athletic League series.
On offense, he went 3-for-3 with a double and drove in a run. Defensively, he threw out multiple runners, back picking a runner at first base and throwing out multiple runners who tried to advance to second base. Reeve held the Jaguars to zero stolen bases for just the fourth game this season.
“He definitely steadies the ship,” head coach Haig Shahbazian said. “I’m a big believer in backing up the middle, but catching is super important. His senior savvy paid off today and our kids feed off him.”
Reeve had his hands all over Enochs’ 3-2 comeback win to start the series off on a good note. The Eagles are the CCAL’s fourth-place team and Gregori is third. In order to advance to the postseason, they need to sweep the Jaguars.
“It’s really important. We made it last year, and it would just be really cool to do it again,” Reeve said. “I’m just trying to help my team win at all costs. Even if it means moving on to the next base and doing a job for the team to get a run across the plate.”
Reeve’s help came in many ways. On offense, in a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning, Javin Randhawa and Reeve singled with no outs and advanced to second and third on a fielder’s choice. In the next at bat, Davian Garcia was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. With a 1-2 count, Jack Thorning lined a double to right field, scoring Reeve and Delgado to take a 3-2 lead.
“They shortened their swings up a little bit,” Shahbazian said. “They started to play the game of baseball. I think early on, they were trying to press. But later on, I think they figured out if they put the ball in play, good things can happen.”
Pitcher Parker Johnson is just a sophomore, but already leads the team with a 6-1 record and has the best ERA of any Enochs pitcher. He is also fourth in all SJS Division I pitchers in ERA (0.68) and sixth in wins.
He earned the start and pitched the full seven innings, striking out four batters and giving up eight hits.
“A young sophomore, he showed great maturity today and carried us, as far as I’m concerned,” Shahbazian said. “Caden Reeve stabilizes the ship, but Parker battled through a few mistakes that his defense made and didn’t flinch. I think that’s what kept our kids in it and allowed us to come back.”
Gregori capitalized on those mistakes early. Erick Rosas doubled then scored when Avyn Redoble singled in the next at bat in the first inning. The next inning, Azzan Mendoza singled and advanced to third on an error. He scored two batters later on a single from Christian Razo.
The Jaguars need just one win to secure their spot in the postseason, meaning they have to win one of their next two games against the Eagles. The series continues Wednesday at Gregori and Friday at Enochs.
After their runs in the first two innings, the Jaguars were not able to capitalize on runners they got on base for the next five innings. In the game, they outhit the Eagles, recording eight hits to Enochs’ six, but mistakes on the basepaths at times resulted in outs instead of runners in scoring position.
“We’ve been selling to our athletes that this is a playoff atmosphere,” Gregori coach James Davis said. “So we want them to have that mentality when they come and be that guy that shows up and realizes this is the atmosphere I want to play in. Every pitch matters, every ball, every strike, every fair, everything matters now because it is amplified when you give up a run or two. It’s two good teams trying to win a game.”
Right now, the Jaguars’ MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section ranking is inside the top 15 in Division I so they will earn an at-large postseason bid. But if they lose three straight this week, it could drop them out of that top 15. The only way to ensure they make it to the postseason is to win this week.
“It’s one game at a time,” Davis said. “We know we need to win a game to go to the playoffs and we’re not going to be a deserving team if we can’t win one game. Give Enochs credit, their goal right now is to deny us that opportunity. This is what you battle for. Most kids live for that competitive atmosphere.”
Baseball
Pitman 15, Modesto 1: Jackson Way finished with four RBI, Elias Mendez and Blake Rose drove in three runs apiece and Julien Jacinto had two RBI to lead the Pride to a CCAL win over Modesto. Alberto Salazar gave up just three hits and struck out seven batters as Pitman won the game in just five innings. As a team, Pitman recorded 14 hits.
Turlock 4, Downey 2: Turlock ace Jaron Rocha pitched the full seven innings, striking out seven and allowing just two earned runs. Andrew Sevilla drove in two runs with a first-inning double and two other Bulldogs added one RBI apiece. Turlock has sealed its second straight CCAL title while the Knights need just one win in this series to lock up the second spot in the league standings. Downey lost despite outhitting the Bulldogs 8-to-5.
Softball
Ceres 7, Beyer 1: Ceres held just a one-run lead heading into the fifth inning, but a three-run home run by senior Kylie Bond broke the game open. They added three more runs in the sixth inning. Bella Bravo recorded a game-high three hits while Ava Montesdeoca and Bond added two hits apiece. Bond tallied four total RBI. Alizae Cole (Ceres) and Jordyn Lish (Beyer) each pitched well, recording seven and eight strikeouts, respectively. Beyer scored its only run in the seventh inning, when Alanna Verges led off the inning with a double and came around to score on a Mckenna Kimoto single. The Patriots struggled defensively Monday afternoon, recording four errors. Beyer, Ceres and Livingston all enter their final WAC contests in a three-way tie for first place.
Pacheco 29, Davis 14: The Spartans pulled within one, making it a 14-13 game by the end of the fourth inning, but gave up four runs in the top of the sixth and 11 runs in the top of the seventh to Pacheco. They scored just once in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Central Valley 8, Lathrop 0: Abigail Krauss finished with two hits, one double and drove in half of the Hawks’ runs by herself to power Central Valley to its seventh WAC win this season. In addition to Krauss’ four RBI, Monster Pruhdel and Alicia Espinoza each drove in a pair. Five different Hawks hit doubles as the team recorded 11 total hits. Gabriela Delatorre pitched all seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out eight in the shutout effort.
Livingston 21, Johansen 0: Lexie Pelayo recorded the only hit of the game for Johansen against WAC newcomer Livingston. The Vikings gave up just three first-inning runs but Livingston broke it open in the second, scoring 11 in the frame.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 8:28 AM.
